Cairo  - Negotiations between Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo produced scant progress as the third day of talks closed, according to Egyptian media reports.

Cairo's official Middle East News Agency quoted Jamal Yussef, a leading member of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, as saying an agreement had been reached on "domestic and international security," but he did not specify its substance.

The Gaza Strip's Interior Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel "come at a bad time," and promised to take action against those responsible.

But negotiations snagged on the subject of the formation of a "national unity" government and fresh elections, the Middle East News Agency reported.

Hamas reportedly had "reservations" about setting January 25, 2010, as the date for fresh elections.

Egypt, which controls the Gaza Strip's only border crossing to the outside world that does not run through Israel, has stressed the importance of Palestinian reconciliation in discussions about opening that border completely.

Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdallah, in a statement released after a brief summit in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba on Thursday, "stressed the importance of achieving a Palestinian consensus, which is key to the accomplishment of Palestinian people's aspirations."

International donors, gathered in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh at the beginning of the month, pledged 4.81 billion dollars to support the Palestinian economy and rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel's 22-day offensive in late December and January.

The donors likewise stressed the importance of establishing a unified Palestinian government to accept and disburse the aid.

The composition of that government may affect donors' willingness to make good on their pledges. Many donors indicated they would take precautions to make sure aid did not wind up in Hamas' hands.

Egypt's government-owned dailies on Thursday reported that Hamas was seeking the release from Palestinian Authority-controlled jails of its members before the end of the talks in Cairo.

But any "national unity" government will likely need to include Hamas, observers say.

Hamas handily won 2006 elections in the Gaza Strip, and a poll of 1,300 Palestinians released Monday by the Palestinian Policy Centre found that support for the group had risen since the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Palestinian factions participating in the Egyptian-brokered talks have broken into five committees looking at security, elections, the formation of a government and national reconciliation. The talks are expected to resume on Saturday. (dpa)