Hamas may halt attacks amid presidential election

JERUSALEM – A local Hamas leader indicated Monday the militant group would not attack Israelis during the Palestinian presidential campaign and would consider a formal truce with Israel in the latest signs of hope for renewed peace efforts in the region.

However, just hours after Sheik Hassan Yousef spoke, two Hamas militants were killed while trying to attack an Israeli military outpost in Gaza, and another Hamas official said there was no such truce.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and a crucial coalition partner were locked in an angry budget standoff that could bring down the government and delay its planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

There has been a sharp drop in violence since Yasser Arafat’s death Nov. 11, with Palestinian militants cutting down on attacks and the Israeli army scaling back raids before the Jan. 9 election for Arafat’s replacement.

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks during the last four years, opposes the existence of the Jewish state.