Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ? The militant Palestinian group Hamas is ready to stop attacks on Israeli civilians if Israel ceases its attacks on Palestinians civilians, the spiritual leader of Hamas said in remarks published Saturday.

Sheik Ahmed Yassin told the Saudi newspaper Al Jazira that Hamas’ military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, attacks Israeli civilians “in response to the death of Palestinian civilians at the hands of Israeli soldiers” in the West Bank.

Yassin referred to the Israeli military offensive on the West Bank that began March 29 – two days after a suicide bombing in the Israeli town of Netanya that killed 29 people – and ended five weeks later. Israel said it undertook the operation to destroy the militant cells behind such suicide attacks.

Palestinian militants have carried out dozens of suicide bombings in Israeli public places, such as shopping malls and restaurants, during the 19 months of the uprising, killing scores of Israeli civilians. Hamas has claimed responsibility for more attacks than any other group, and it has been responsible for the deadliest blasts.

“We are the first to reject the killing of civilians, and we decided to abide by this policy, but the Israeli forces committed massacres against our people in Jenin and other areas, and this is what made us respond with the same method,” Yassin said.

The refugee camp of Jenin was the scene of the fiercest battle during the West Bank offensive. Palestinians have claimed a massacre occurred, but Western rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have said they have found evidence of war crimes but not a massacre. Israel said that most of the Palestinian fatalities were gunmen, but it regrets the death of seven civilians.

Hamas “is ready to stop its military acts against Israeli civilian targets on condition that Israel stops targeting Palestinian civilians,” Yassin said.

Palestinian officials said this week that Hamas has come under growing pressure from Saudi Arabia to halt its suicide attacks in Israel. The officials said Hamas leaders are to hold talks in Cairo with Saudi officials in the coming days. Yassin was not asked about this issue.