Cairo/Jerusalem, Jan. 12 : Iran has warned Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel.

An Egyptian government official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials who visited Damascus recently warned Hamas leaders against accepting the proposal.

He said Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and Said Jalili of the Iranian Intelligence Service, met Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah.

His remarks came as Hamas representatives met in Cairo with Egyptian Intelligence Chief General Omar Suleiman and his aides to discuss ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas representatives reiterated their opposition to a cease-fire that did not include the reopening of all the border crossings into the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesmen said on Sunday.

The spokesmen said Hamas also voiced its strong opposition to the idea of deploying an international force inside the Gaza Strip.

"The Iranians threatened to stop weapons supplies and funding to the Palestinian factions if they agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The Iranians want to fight Israel and the US indirectly. They are doing this through Hamas in Palestine and Hizbullah in Lebanon," the official claimed.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces are moving slowly into Gaza''s most densely populated areas. Some reservists are in action on the ground, but the army denied escalating the war to a "third phase" - an all-out push on Gaza City and other towns. (ANI)