GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas is prepared to agree to a cease-fire with Israel that would begin only in the Gaza Strip, a senior representative of the militant group said today, dropping a demand that any agreement also immediately include the West Bank.

The move marked a concession by Hamas as Egyptian mediators try to halt fighting between Palestinian militants and the Israeli army in Gaza.

Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said Hamas has agreed to a cease-fire that "would begin in Gaza, and then move to the West Bank," rather than include both areas simultaneously. Hamad said his group has relayed its position to Egypt, and was now waiting for Israel's response.

As part of a cease-fire, Hamas will demand that Israel and Egypt open Gaza's border crossings, Hamad said. The crossings have been closed since last year except for humanitarian aid in an attempt to weaken Hamas and end ongoing rocket fire at Israeli towns.

KUWAIT CITY — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today the Bush administration explicitly warned former President Jimmy Carter against meeting with members of Hamas, the Palestinian faction that controls the Gaza Strip and which is regarded by the U.S. as a terror group.Rice, attending a regional meeting on Iraq's security and future, contradicted Carter's assertions that he never got a clear signal from the State Department. Rice told reporters the U.S. thought the visit could confuse the message that the U.S. will not deal with Hamas."I just don't want there to be any confusion," Rice said. "The United States is not going to deal with Hamas, and we had certainly told President Carter that we did not think meeting with Hamas was going to help."Carter said top Hamas leaders told him during seven hours of talks in Damascus over the weekend that they are willing to live next to Israel, but a top Hamas official said the group would never outright recognize the Jewish state.

CAIRO, Egypt — Osama bin Laden's chief deputy today denied a theory that Israel carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and blamed Iran and Shiite Hezbollah for spreading the idea to discredit the Sunni al-Qaida's strike against the U.S.The comments in a recording posted on an Islamic Web site reflected the increasing criticism by al-Qaida's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri against Iran. Al-Zawahri has accused Iran in recent messages of seeking to extend its power in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and through its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.The authenticity of the two-hour audio recording could not be independently confirmed. But the voice sounded like past audiotapes from the terror leader, and the posting where it was found bore the logo of Al-Sahab, al-Qaida's official media arm.