Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said today he would not rule out new unity government talks with Hamas despite more than a week of factional violence between his Fatah party and the Islamic militant group.
Mr Abbas has called for new elections - a year after Hamas won parliamentary elections - saying it was the only way to break the political deadlock in the Palestinian government. Hamas opposes new elections
Ayman al-Zawahri speaks to the press in this 1998 photo taken in Khost, Afghanistan
Speaking to reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mr Abbas left the door open to new coalition talks, though he did not back away from his election threat. "We have no objection to more talks," he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas gunmen killed two Palestinian policemen loyal to the rival Fatah movement just hours after the sides had agreed to a new ceasefire meant to end more than a week of factional fighting.
Fatah officials condemned the killing but said they remained committed to the truce. Gaza City remained calm, in contrast to the pitched battles that raged in city streets a day earlier.
However, hundreds of people called for revenge at the policemen's funeral, raising the prospect of renewed fighting.
Also during the day, the deputy leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, used a video-taped broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV to attack the proposal by Mr Abbas to hold early elections to resolve the contest between the Fatah and Hamas parties, which has degenerated to daily gun battles in the streets of Gaza.
In the clips broadcast by Al-Jazeera, al-Zawahri did not say how the two parties should settle their dispute, but he scoffed at elections, saying: "Any way other than holy war will lead us only to loss and defeat."
He described Mr Abbas as "America's man in Palestine," and warned that if Palestinians accepted him as their president it would be "the end of holy war."
In what appeared to be a reference to Abbas and his Fatah party, al-Zawahri said: "Those who are trying to liberate the Islamic territories through elections based on secular constitutions, or on decisions to hand over Palestine to the Jews, will not liberate one grain of sand of Palestine."
He also criticised Hamas, accusing it of making a number of concessions that would ultimately lead to "the recognition of Israel."
AP