Gaza - Egypt has postponed a planned inter-Palestinian dialogue as several factions, mainly Hamas, have decided to boycott it, Palestinian sources said on Saturday.

Ramattan, a local news agency, quoted Palestinian officials as saying that Egypt told them the dialogue, which was scheduled to start on Sunday, was being postponed.

Twelve Palestinian factions had been invited to the dialogue.

Meanwhile, a Hamas official said his movement decided to boycott the dialogue, blaming the rival Fatah movement headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas cited the ongoing arrest of its supporters by pro-Abbas forces in the West Bank.

"Egypt is convinced and believes President Abbas's account that there are no political prisoners in West Bank," Hamas legislator Salah al-Bardaweel charged. "This has cut any hope to hold the dialogue in this circumstances."

Besides Hamas, the Islamic Jihad was also among the factions deciding to boycott the planned meeting.

Hamas accuses pro-Abbas forces of confining more than 500 Hamas supporters and members in the West Bank, while Fatah alleges that Hamas rounded up Fatah leaders and officials in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The dialogue aims at reconciling Hamas and Fatah and ending the political split between Gaza Strip and West Bank which followed Hamas' violent seizure of the Gaza Strip in mid-2007. (dpa)