Hamas ruled out any truce with Israel yesterday and repeated its desire to destroy the Jewish state, rejecting what had appeared to be more conciliatory comments by one of the Islamic militant group's leaders.

　　"There is no talk about a truce at all," Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a top Hamas leader, told reporters.

　　"Our strategy is to liberate all Palestinian soil," Zahar said, referring to the West Bank, Gaza and Israel.

　　Hassan Youssef, the top Hamas official in the West Bank, said on Friday the group could accept creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and a truce with Israel, signaling an overture to end hostilities.

　　Palestine Liberation Organization leader Mahmoud Abbas has been trying to persuade militant groups to halt attacks against Israel to smooth the path of a presidential election on January 9 to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died last month.

　　Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and attacks. Palestinian officials are worried further assaults could provoke Israeli retaliation.

　　(Reuters)