Palestinian leader says 'aggression' must stop

The Palestinian Authority president urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to an Egypt-brokered truce Saturday, but he singled out the Jewish state, saying it would be responsible for a "waterfall of blood" if it didn't accept the deal.

Mahmoud Abbas was in Cairo Saturday for talks with Egyptian officials on a truce to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, now in its 15th day. In a news conference Saturday after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas stressed there was no time to waste in ending the bloodshed in Gaza, home to 1.4 million people.

The Palestinian leader also said he hopes Hamas, which controls Gaza, will agree to a cease-fire without "hesitation." Abbas said that so far, he has not heard any serious reservations from Hamas to the Egyptian proposal.

However, Hamas and other Syria-based Palestinian militant groups Saturday rejected deploying international observers or troops in Gaza — one idea that has been discussed to bring peace to the region.

In a statement issued Saturday after a meeting attended by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal they also rejected any security arrangement that infringes on the right of resistance against Israeli occupation.