The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Tuesday that its dialogue with new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over reaching a truce with Israel was positive and achieved substantial progress.

Hassan Yousef, senior Hamas leader in Ramallah, told the Voice of Palestine that "substantial progress" has been made during the week-long dialogue held in Gaza.

"The negotiations with Abu Mazen (Abbas) have produced real results that will soon be released," he said, stressing that whether a truce could be reached depends on Israel's reactions.

Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, as well as other Palestinian militant groups refrained in the last few days from carrying out attacks and firing rockets at southern Israel and Jewish settlements.

A Palestinian official close to Abbas said earlier that Palestinian militant groups have promised Abbas during the dialogue that they would suspend attacks on Israeli targets.

However, small armed groups remain active in the southern area of the Gaza Strip, mainly in Khan Yunis, to continue firing homemade mortars at Jewish settlements west of the town.

Ziad Abu Amer, coordinator of dialogue between Abbas and militants, said on Monday that militant groups asserted that a truce could be reached, if Israel stops carrying out military operations in the Palestinian territories and releases Palestinian prisoners.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Abu Najja, a senior Palestinian official, said on Monday that a ceasefire deal is expected to be reached by the beginning of March in the next round of an inter-Palestinian dialogue to be held in Cairo.

Abbas arrived in Gaza last Tuesday and held talks with leaders of Palestinian militant groups in an effort to hammer out a truce, a step considered necessary to revive the stagnant peace process.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2005)