GAZA CITY -- Palestinian resistance groups will announce within the next 24 hours a halt to anti-Israeli attacks provided they receive required guarantees from Israel, a leader of Islamic Jihad movement said Saturday morning. "The announcement of a truce will come in the next 24 hours," said Mohammed al-Hindi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, "and depends on the conditions of (Israel) stopping murders, incursions and demolishing houses, as well as freeing prisoners." Hindi said Islamic Jihad, its larger rival, Hamas, and the Fatah movement of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "will not be bound to respect the truce if Israel were to violate these conditions." The Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam reported Saturday that the three groups "would officially announce a three-month truce on anti-Israeli attacks on Sunday at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) simultaneously in Gaza City, Ramallah (in the West Bank) and in Cairo."

Hamas' founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, announced Friday that his group had "come to a decision" on a ceasefire.

"Hamas has studied the proposal of a truce and we have come to a decision," he said. "Hamas has made its decision known to the other Palestinian organizations and we hope to inform concerned Arab parties who have contributed to these efforts, as well as to Abu Mazen (the Palestinian prime minister)," he added. "We are still negotiating with the other organizations and will publish a joint statement in the next few days, if God wishes it."