Egypt holds inconclusive talks with Hamas on truce

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Egypt held inconclusive talks on Thursday with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, part of a U.S.-backed push for a truce between the groups and Israel to halt a surge in violence.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders said after the meeting they would study the Egyptian proposal but were non-committal.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the onus was on Israel to first make a commitment to stop "all forms of aggression" and end its blockade of the impoverished coastal enclave.

An end to rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip and suspension of Israeli raids into the Hamas-run territory would make it easier for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to continue to negotiate peace with the Jewish state.

The talks were held in El Arish, an Egyptian town just south of the Gaza Strip, three days after Israel ended an offensive in northern Gaza that killed more than 120 Palestinians, about half of them identified as civilians.

Speaking in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had spoken with Egyptian leaders and expressed "trust" their efforts could further U.S.-backed peace talks.

"It is extremely important that there be an effort to bring calm there," Rice said, calling Cairo a "good ally".

Abbas suspended negotiations with Israel in protest at the bloodshed. Rice, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank earlier this week, said Abbas had agreed to resume the talks.