Hamas Announces Demands for Truce With Israel

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's Hamas prime minister publicly set his conditions today for a cease-fire with Israel to end the fighting that has killed dozens in recent weeks.

The Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, demanded an end to Israeli military activity in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a lifting of Israeli economic sanctions, and the opening of Gaza's borders, which have been sealed since the Islamic militant group seized control of the territory last June.

"We are talking about a mutual, comprehensive calm, which means that the enemy must fulfill its obligations," Mr. Haniyeh said in a speech at Gaza's Islamic University. "The Israelis must stop the aggression ... including assassinations and invasions, end the sanctions, and open the borders."

With American backing, Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas following an especially bloody round of fighting that left five Israelis and more than 120 Palestinian Arabs dead over the past two weeks.

"There are efforts by the Egyptian brothers who are working on this issue. We as Palestinians are waiting for the Israeli answers," Mr. Haniyeh said. "The ball is in Israel's court."

The fighting has subsided in recent days, but both sides have denied talk of a formal truce.