Hamas says no truce without full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

GAZA (Xinhua) - Islamic Hamas movement said early on Sunday that any truce that does not guarantee a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip will not be accepted.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zorhi said in a press statement that his movement will not accept any humanitarian truce that does not guarantee a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and enable the Palestinians to go back to their homes.

Hamas' statement came hours after Israel said it is ready for a 24-hour humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip starting at Sunday morning.

Israel and Hamas observed a 12-hour humanitarian UN-proposed truce that ended Saturday at 8:00 p.m local time (0500 p.m GMT).

Late on Saturday, Israel agreed a four-hour extension of a 12- hour truce proposed by the UN between Hamas militants and Israel.

Meanwhile, Islamic Hamas movement abruptly rejected the proposal, insisting that the ceasefire deal should include the lift of a seven-year Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Hamas also said its fighters fired four rockets into Israel after the end of the UN-proposed truce.

The ongoing fighting between Hamas movement and the Israeli army in Gaza which started in July 8 has claimed the lives of more than 1030 Palestinians and 43 Israelis.

Regional and international efforts to end the bloody fighting in Gaza have been going on unabated. However, all efforts have yet to succeed in the ending the 19-day-long conflict.

Israel has so far rejected all international proposals to end the violent fighting in Gaza, saying its offensive aims at stopping Gaza rockets fire into and Israel and destroying tunnels used by Hamas militants to carry out cross-border military operations in Israeli territories.

Palestinians insist that fighting would not stop unless their demands, an end of Israel's seven-year blockade atop them, are met by Israel.