Several Palestinian factions on Tuesday welcomed the cease-fire agreement reached last night between Fatah and Hamas, aas well as an Egyptian proposal to form a national army comprising all Palestinian groups.

The Egyptian offer was disclosed by Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas who spoke in Gaza after an Egyptian security team brokered an inter-Palestinian ceasefire to stop clashes between the governing Hamas and rival Fatah.

Jamal Nazzal, a spokesman for Fatah which dominates the security services, welcomed the Egyptian plan, saying that Fatah was willing to let everyone join the security agencies. "We call for unifying all security apparatus under a united command," Nazzal added.

The Egyptian suggestion came following four days of murderous gunfights between forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and militants of the ruling Hamas movement. "Hamas stresses the necessity of reshuffling the security services so they represent all colors of the Palestinian spectrum," said Fawzi Barhoom, a spokesman for Hamas.

"Now it's quiet. Though the shots were heard in the city after the ceasefire took effect, since the morning they (militants) stopped fighting," said Mohamed Saqqa, a Gaza citizen. The shops, especially in downtown Gaza where several confrontations took place, are reopening now for a hopefully normal day of business.

Meanwhile, security members were withdrawn and returned to positions occupied prior to the incidents (around major security headquarters).

But militants of Hamas' Auxiliary Forces were seen standing on some streets.

"Most of the people convinced that this was a temporary ceasefire that will collapse at any time as long as no agreement was reached on forming the unity government," said Abdalla Rayyan,a Gaza taxi driver.

Palestinian analyst Hani Habib from Gaza said that any solution on the ground must be accompanied by a political settlement. "As far as we know that all hostages were released following the deal that took effect at 3:00 AM (01:00 GMT) Tuesday," said a Palestinian national security official.

However, gunmen shot dead a Hamas commander in the Gaza Strip Tuesday with the Islamist group blaming a Fatah-dominated security service for the first killing following the ceasefire.

A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing said he was killed by the Preventive Security Service, a loyalist Fatah faction. The security service denied any connection with his death.

Meanwhile, politicians said that the Mecca meeting would be the final chance to form a unity government. Moreover, some news websites close to Fatah said that Abbas had resolved to call early elections should the Mecca talks, scheduled on February, fail.

Palestinian sources at Abbas' office said that Ahmed Qureia, former Prime Minister would lead Fatah delegation and Khaled Meshaal, a Hamas chief based in Damascus would head Hamas' delegation.

Of course the truce provides suitable atmosphere for talks, but Hamas supporters, writing on their forum, accuse the "coup-makers" in Fatah of being uninterested in a deal.

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2007)