A Palestinian official said on Monday that no ceasefire would be reached as long as Israel continues its offensives against the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

"There will be no truce under the shadow of Israeli refusal to stop its aggression against the Palestinians and the Lebanese people," Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmed Bahar told the Voice of Palestine.

He said that Palestinian factions had earlier maintained a ceasefire with Israel, "but Israel increased its escalation campaigns."

Bahar, also a Hamas official, denounced the international community "for seeking the release of an Israeli soldier taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, while thousands of Palestinian prisoners were held in Israel."

Meanwhile, Nabil Shaath, a lawmaker representing the Fatah movement, said that Palestinian factions "have shown consensus that a full ceasefire must be reached to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip."

Shaath was quoted by the Palestinian daily al-Ayyam as saying that Egypt was leading efforts to come up with a truce.

In addition, Ibrahim Abu Najja, secretary general of the Palestinian Follow-up Committee, said that Palestinian factions are ready to stop rocket attacks against Israel and release an Israeli soldier, if Israel stops offensive in the Gaza Strip and releases Palestinian prisoners, al-Ayyam reported.

"The factions are willing to abide by a ceasefire, but it must be mutual," Abu Najja said, adding "ceasefire must mean a complete end to all forms of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people."

As for Gilad Shalit, who was captured on June 25 by three militant groups, Abu Najja said that the factions would free him, but Israel has to meet demands of the captors first.

The kidnappers have demanded that Israel release more than 1, 000 Palestinian prisoners, especially children and women, held in Israeli jails in exchange for the hostage, but Israel rejected the idea.

Israel has continued a four-week-long military operation in the Gaza Strip, which was launched three days after three Palestinian groups including Hamas' armed wing captured an Israeli soldier and killed two others in a cross-border attack on June 25.

Israel says that the offensive is aimed at freeing the abducted soldier and halting Palestinian rocket attacks.

However, Palestinian militants continued to fire rockets at southern Israel on Monday.

Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) claimed responsibility for launching two homemade rockets into southwestern Israel.

The group said in a statement that the attack targeted a power plant, adding it was "in solidarity with Lebanese resistance and in response to a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region."

Earlier, the Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced that it fired two rockets at Sderot town in southern Israel.

Source: Xinhua