Hamas says it cannot stop arms smuggling

Gaza: Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip Esmail Haniya said on Friday the group would not stop smuggling activities in the territory.

Stopping smuggling is a central Israeli demand in an Egyptian-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas that came into force on Thursday.

Groups smuggle arms and ammunition into Gaza through tunnels across the border with Egypt and on boats along the coast. Israel has also demanded Egypt step up efforts to stop the flow of arms into Gaza.

"We cannot talk about stopping smuggling because it is something beyond our ability as a government and we did not give a commitment in this regard," Haniya told worshippers before Friday prayers in Gaza City.

He said Hamas would not impose the truce by force on other groups, but added that other groups had agreed to the deal voluntarily.

Egypt, who spent months working on the agreement, said it would step up efforts to crack down on smuggling.

Mark Regev, spokesman to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the ceasefire agreement included an end to attacks on Israel by all groups and a complete end to arms smuggling. "Anyone who says otherwise apparently wants to destroy the calm before it has a chance to really succeed," Regev said.