Cairo - Hamas will not accept a ceasefire with Israel unless all aggression against the Gaza Strip is halted, a Hamas spokesman said Tuesday.

The Lebanon-based Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the Hamas delegation in Cairo focused on achieving a halt of all aggression, then a ceasefire might be negotiated.

A Hamas delegation arrived late on Monday in Cairo to hold the first round of talks since the launch of Israeli military action in Gaza last month.

The Hamas delegation includes Mohammed Nasr, a member of the Islamist group's political bureau, and Emad al-Elami, both based in Damascus.

"Israel is attempting to kill as many civilians as they can to exert pressure on the people of Gaza," said Hamdan, who is close to the negotiations.

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy has little hope of achieving a ceasefire after his talks with various leaders, but again no ceasefire unless attacks stop," he told dpa.

Sarkozy started a Middle East tour on Monday to confer with several Arab leaders on ways of stopping the Israeli offensive against Palestinians. Since the attack started last month, more than 600 Palestinians have died and 2,600 have been injured.

"If Sarkozy manages to achieve such a thing, it will be something good for both France and the region," added Hamdan.

Sarkozy returned to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday after a brief visit to Lebanon, on an unscheduled visit.

Egypt, which brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended December 19, has been a key player in mediating between Hamas, rival Palestinian faction Fatah, and Israel.

Reconciliation talks between the two rival Palestinian camps - Hamas and Fatah - had been scheduled to take place in Cairo in early November but were cancelled at the last minute, after Hamas announced a boycott. (dpa)