Moussa Abu Marzouk: No truce before Israel stops attacks

       A senior exiled Hamas official rejected Monday any talk of a new truce with Israel unless all attacks on Gaza cease and the border crossings are reopened, and promised to confront any ground invasion. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' politburo, also told The Associated Press in an interview in Damascus that Palestinian militants have a right to strike everywhere in Israel in response to its deadly assault on Gaza. He spoke as Israel continued three days of intensive air raids against Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip. The number of casualties from the offensive rose Monday to at least 315. Abu Marzouk pledged his group will not surrender and promised to face any Israeli ground invasion. "We are going to defend ourselves, defend our people and defend our land," he said. Abu Marzouk said there can be no talk of a new truce with Israel under the present conditions. "Stop all kinds of aggression, open all (crossings), stop all the violence against the people in the West Bank," he said in English, listing Hamas' conditions for any future truce. Egypt had brokered on June 19 a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel that expired earlier this month but Hamas refused to extend it saying that Israel had not abided by the truce conditions that should have obligated Israel to open border crossings with Gaza. The Hamas deputy chief said any party interested in brokering a truce agreement should "take some responsibility" to see that it gets implemented by Israel - a reference to the Egyptian role in mediating. (21,49)