Israel appears to have rejected an offer by Palestinian militant factions to stop firing Qassam rockets on Israel if the Israel Defense Forces ceases its operations in the Gaza Strip.

Hader Habib, an Islamic Jihad official in Gaza, said Thursday night that Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement on the deal during a meeting of representatives of the groups and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza.

Government spokeswoman Miri Eisin responded to the proposal by saying Israel would only stop its actions after militants laid down their weapons.

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"Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups have chosen to fire rockets into Israel day in and day out," Eisin said. "Israel will continue to defend its citizens against the rockets and will only stop its actions once those who fire, store and make the rockets and those who smuggle in their components cease their actions."

In addition, Israel Defense Forces sources told Israel Radio on Friday that military activity in the Gaza Strip will continue, and even intensify, in an effort to move the Qassam cells to areas that are less convenient for firing rockets at Israel.

Labor Party secretary general Eitan Cabel, however, said he would be glad to accept a deal that could lead to a cease-fire. Last year's disengagement from the Gaza Strip was meant to put a halt to the hostility and killing in the area, he noted.

"If this could lead to a cease-fire, I would be very happy for it to happen," Cabel told Israel Radio.

Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal traveled to Cairo from Damascus, where he is based, for meetings with the Egyptian Chief of Intelligence, General Omar Suleiman.

The two discussed the details of a deal to exchange the abducted IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Meshal arrived in Cairo at the head of a delegation of senior Hamas officials, permanently based in the Syrian capital.

Among those in the delegation is Imad al-Ilmi, the director of the Hamas bureau in Damascus, and Muhammed Nasser, a member in the political council.

In preparation for the visit, Hamas officials were busy trying to lower expectations for any major breakthrough in the Shalit affair.

"There is no breakthrough or a pending deal to exchange prisoners," they told reporters.

Speaking with Israel Radio on Thursday, Osama al-Mazini, one of the Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, said that the purpose of Meshal's visit to Cairo is to hear about the Egyptian proposal for a prisoner exchange.

In the Gaza Strip Thursday, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met with Haniyeh for talks on the formation of a national unity government. No major breakthroughs were reported following the meeting.

Senior Hamas officials stressed Thursday that they were demanding the release of 1400-1500 Palestinian prisoners in return for Shalit.

Osama Hamdan, representing Hamas in Beirut, said the organization is demanding that Israel release all women and minors held in Israeli prisons before a deal takes place. The deal would then be followed by the release of 1000 prisoners parallel to the release of Shalit.

At a later stage Hamas expects the release of 500 more Palestinian prisoners.