Hamas will settle the debate on a cease-fire with Israel on Thursday when it gives its final decision to Egyptian mediators, a Hamas spokesman said on Tuesday." The end of the debate on calmness will be on Thursday when Hamas hands over its final answers to the Egyptian side," said Salah al-Bardaweel, a spokesman for Hamas' parliamentary bloc.

Egypt has been mediating between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions led by Hamas to broker a ceasefire. Hamas used to demand that the ceasefire applies in the West Bank in addition to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, but the Egyptian efforts appear to have succeeded in striking a ceasefire deal in Gaza." The lull in Gaza Strip alone has its prices and the full calmness has its prices too," al-Bardaweel said.

If the Palestinian militants carried out "a distinguished" attack against Israeli targets in the West Bank, Israel should not militarily respond in Gaza, according to al-Bardaweel, adding Israel should accept this condition.

Israel stepped up military operations and tightened the siege on the Gaza Strip when Hamas took over the territory by force last June.

A Gaza-based Hamas delegation, who left earlier for talks with the Egyptian officials and exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal about the ceasefire, is expected to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suliman in Cairo this week "to present Hamas' stance," al-Bardaweel said.

"Gaza's calmness is also subject to lifting the siege and reopening the crossings... we expect a positive response from Egypt," he added.

Former Hamas foreign minister Mahmoud Zahar and former interior minister Said Siam will return to Gaza soon if Egypt and Israel accepted the ceasefire offers.

Islamic Jihad movement, a Palestinian political and militant group, on Monday announced it rejects that the ceasefire takes place only in Gaza, but al-Bardaweel said "nearly most of the factions accepted, including the Islamic Jihad."

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)