Hamas said on Friday it rejected the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"This resolution does not suit us, because it is not in the best interest of the Palestinian people," Raafat Morra, a Hamas official, told AFP in Beirut.

"Even though we are the main actors on the ground in Gaza, we were not consulted about this resolution, and they have not taken into account our vision and the interests of our people," top Hamas official Ayman Taha told AFP.

"As a result, we do not feel concerned by this resolution, and when the different parties apply it they will have to deal with those who are in charge on the ground,” he added.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri made similar comments in an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television on Friday.

"In the Hamas movement, we do not think that the battle has ended because this resolution was issued, especially after ... the continuation of the aggression in Gaza after it was issued," Abu Zuhri said.

Abu Zuhri said the Security Council “did not take the interests and the demands of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, into consideration when making this resolution.”

"We will continue assessing our position in light of developments on the ground," he said.

The spokesman said that a Hamas delegation would travel to Cairo on Saturday, when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is due to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

-AFP/NOW Staff