Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel will continue its military operations in the Gaza Strip, and has no intention of negotiating with Palestinian militants.

"Israel will not conduct negotiations and will continue it military operations in order to defend its citizens," said Olmert, at the star of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

The prime minister added that given the decrease in Qassam rocket fire, Israel is not prepared to negotiate on the Israel Defense Forces modus operandi in the Gaza Strip.

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"Security forces will continue to act against the terror organizations in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria without respite," he said. "These operations are producing results and will continue so long as they contribute to the preservation of our security interests and to the defense of the citizens of Israel."

Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the cabinet that IDF operations against Hamas and Islamic Jihad will continue. "We will not let Hamas be the one to decide on a cease-fire," he said. "We must ensure that we don't return to a situation in which Hamas resolves its political problems by firing at Israel."

Olmert agreed to Peretz's request that Prime Minister's Office Director General Ra'anan Dinur prepare a proposal for expanding the benefits granted to communities near Gaza, with an emphasis on the economic benefits.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni informed the cabinet Sunday that she has sent official letters of invitation to her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts.

Livni met with the two foreign ministers in Cairo several weeks ago, and they agreed to come to Israel in order to begin discussions on the Arab peace initiative.

In her official invitation, Livni added that should any other Arab League representative wish to join them, they would be welcome to do so.

Hamas rejects Abbas plan for Gaza-first cease-fire
Meanwhile, Hamas' delegation to Egypt has rejected the draft of an initiative for a cease-fire between the Islamist organization and Israel, saying it must apply to the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.

During talks in Cairo, the members of the delegation - headed by Hamas deputy political leader Moussa Abu Marzouk - said they could not accept the current draft of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' 10-point cease-fire initiative.

According to the proposal, Hamas must first halt the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel before the armistice is applied in the West Bank.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied a report Sunday that Hamas had proposed to Israel the ceasing of Qassam rocket fire in return for Israel ending its assassinations of Hamas members.

He emphasized that Hamas isn't seeking to protect only its own members, but all the Palestinian people.

Abu Zuhri was referring to the comments made by a senior Palestinian official to Israel Radio late Friday. The official stated that Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal said his organization would be willing to stop firing rockets at Israel if Israel stops its targeted killings of Hamas militants.

The Palestinian source said Meshal made the offer during a telephone conversation with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The Qatari prime minister later called Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to update him on his conversation with Meshal, the radio reported.

With regard to Cairo talks, Hamas' Gaza spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told Haaretz that Hamas informed the parties that it will not agree to a distinction between the West Bank and the Strip. "We've had a bad experience with the occupation. We will agree only to a total cease-fire both in the West Bank and the Strip."

Israel is refusing Hamas' demand that the cease-fire be extended to the West Bank in light of the repeated attempts to launch suicide bombers from the West Bank into Israel. Such a cease-fire would prevent Israel from apprehending terrorists there.

The western Negev has seen a decrease in the number of Qassam rockets fired at it by militants from the Gaza Strip. Nine rockets hit the area over the weekend, including one that damaged a Sderot house on Saturday.

Over the weekend, IDF troops killed five Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including three militants and two teenagers.