The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has ruled out a unilateral suspension of resistance attacks against Israeli targets but says it may be willing to limit them if Israel stops harming Palestinian civilians. Hamas spokesman Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi made the statement on Monday in response to efforts by Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Quraya to rein in resistance attacks to push forward the US-backed "road map" aimed at ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "The issue that will be possible to be addressed (with the Palestinian Authority) is continuing the resistance to the (Israeli) occupation while avoiding civilian casualties," said al-Rantisi from a safe house in the occupied Gaza Strip. One of many who have gone underground since Israel started to target the Palestinian resistance's political leadership, al-Rantisi had surfaced to give a rare interview to AP. Israel is demanding Quraya should crack down on resistance groups, a move so far rejected by the Palestinian Authority for fear of sparking civil war. Quraya last week called on resistance leaders to discuss a ceasefire. The Palestinian premier has also been putting together a new cabinet mindful of his predecessor, Mahmud Abbas, who resigned in September after a unilateral suspension of attacks he secured from fighters collapsed. "We are trying to help Abu Ala (Quraya) to avoid the failure of Abu Mazan (Abbas) by offering to stop attacks on civilians if the enemy accepts to do the same," al-Rantisi said. In August Hamas and Islamic Jihad called off a unilateral ceasefire they had announced on 29 June after it had been routinely ignored by Israel. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Top Hamas official Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi talks in Gaza, November 2, 2003. (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)