Hamas denies accepting EU truce proposal

(GAZA CITY) - A top Hamas official on Thursday denied saying the group had conditionally accepted an EU truce proposal for Gaza violence, saying a bogus statement had been published on the main Hamas website.

"It is a false statement devoid of any truth," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP. "It was disseminated by hostile parties in order to raise doubt as to Hamas positions. I have not made any statements on this topic."

Earlier, the website carried a statement attributed to Barhum saying that the Islamists were accepting the EU truce proposal under certain conditions.

"A ceasefire deal must be part of a global agreement including a ceasefire, the lifting of the blockade and the reopening of all the border crossings," the statement said.

A statement by the European Union released after a foreign ministers' meeting in Paris on Tuesday began with a demand for an "unconditional" stop to Hamas rocket attacks.

"There must be an unconditional halt to rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel and an end to Israeli military action," the EU statement said.