Hamas said yesterday it had not received any truce proposals but was ready to consider any that are made that would end the Israeli offensive on its Gaza stronghold and its blockade of the enclave.

"No truce initiative has been sent to us," senior Hamas official Ayman Taha told AFP.

“If such a proposition is made to us, we will examine it as we FROM PAGE 16

are favourable to any Initiative that will put an end to the aggression and totally lift the blockade," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry also confirmed Hamas's readiness for a truce. In a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the head of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, "voiced readiness to cease armed confrontation but on condition of the lifting of the blockade of Gaza," the ministry said.

In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov underlined the need for both sides to cease fire immediately and said Russia was "deeply worried" about the humanitariansituation.

Ayman Taha spoke after the Israeli security cabinet rejected international proposals for a truce and vowed to press on with its deadly five-day offensive against Hamas targets in the battered Gaza Strip.

Earlier, a Hamas spokesman blasted as unbalanced the terms of international ceasefire proposals in Gaza.

"The current efforts aimed at ending the combat and installing a ceasefire put the executioner and the victim on equal footing," Fawzi Barhum said in astatement.

"International and Arab efforts must focus on ending this aggression, opening the border crossings and rebuilding Gaza," he said.

"All Arab and international intervention must focus on stopping the aggression, lifting

..the blockade and.opening all border crossings," he said.

A statement by the European Union released after a foreign ministers meeting in Paris on Tuesday began by a demand of an "unconditional" stop to Hamas rocket attacks.

"There must be an unconditional halt to rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel and an end to Israeli military action," the EU statement said.

Israel has kept Gaza virtually sealed off since June 2007 when Hamas, a group sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state, seized power in the enclave by ousting forces loyal to moderate president Mahmud Abbas.

A statement by the European Union released after a foreign minister meeting in Paris on Tuesday began by a demand of an "unconditional" stop to Hamas rocket attacks.

"There must be an unconditional halt to rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel and an end to Israeli military action," the EU statement said.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa yesterday called for an immediate meeting of rival Palestinian factions, at the opening of an emergency session on how to deal with Israel's Gaza onslaught.