Egypt pushes Hamas to halt rocket attacks on Israel, agree to truce

Egypt on Thursday was trying to convince Hamas to accept a truce that would involve halting rockets attacks on Israel, in an effort to put an end to violence in the Gaza Strip and salvage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Deputies of Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met with officials from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad on Thursday in the Egyptian Sinai city of el-Arish on Thursday, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss activities by the intelligence services. Talks on a truce were high on the agenda of the talks, said one security official.