Terror group joins Arafat ceasefire

The militant Hamas, which carried out the beachfront suicide bombing in Israel, today joined a ceasefire called by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as world leaders work to keep the lid on Middle East violence.

Arafat called a meeting of his Fatah leadership and Hamas representatives last night. In a joint statement, the militants said they were halting attacks to give Israel a chance to ‘‘stop assassination and stop killing and destruction’’.