During a joint press conference in the West Bank city Ramallah on Tuesday with Rice, Abbas called for an Israeli-Palestinian truce in order to achieve peace by the end of this year.

Although both Rice and US President George W. Bush have expressed their optimism to achieve that peace goal, Shalaby noted, "frankly speaking, it appears that the current situation doesn't make people expect the Palestinian-Israeli peace deal can be achieved by the end of 2008."

"However, if the Bush administration make serious efforts to push the peace process, this goal might be achieved, which depends on how much pressure they can make on Israel," he added.

The world needs a miracle to revive the moribund Middle East peace process after the latest Israeli massacres in Gaza, the local Egyptian Mail said in an editorial on Tuesday.

Hard to close ranks between Palestinian factions

Rice held the Palestinian armed group Hamas responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, condemning its attacks on Israeli cities and calling for an halt of the home-make rocket fires.

For his part, Abul Gheit condemned Israel's excessive use of force against innocent civilians, which is unbalanced and unequal compared to Hamas attacks on the Israelis.

The Egyptian top diplomat also said Hamas was "part of the Palestinian equation" and would have to be dealt with in future negotiations "if they would mend their ways" to renounce violence.

Hamas on Tuesday termed Rice's visit to the Middle East as unwelcome, noting that it serves the aim of preventing Arab countries from responding to the help appeals from the Gaza Strip and comes to rein in the state of solidarity among the Palestinian people, as well as give more support to the Israeli occupation to commit new massacres.