Jerusalem ? Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement pledged for the first time Tuesday to try to stop attacks on Israeli civilians by its militiamen, creating a small opening for a truce. Other militant groups said attacks would continue.

A Fatah leader, however, cast doubt on the statement, and Israeli officials dismissed it as giving tacit approval for attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The statement came a day after Arafat spoke to the Palestinian Legislative Council and repeated his call for an end to attacks on Israeli civilians. In the past, Fatah activists have defied such calls and continued attacks.

Early today, Israeli tanks and troops moved into northern Gaza, Palestinians said, taking control of the town of Beit Lahiya and part of Beit Hanoun. The Israeli forces included bulldozers, indicating they planned to knock down structures. There was some gunfire, but no casualties were reported. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, senior Israeli and Palestinian officials met to discuss measures to ease tensions. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat, a confidant of Arafat, headed the two teams.

A statement from Peres’ office said that in the next few days, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer would meet with his Palestinian counterpart, Abdel Razak Yehiyeh, to discuss a Palestinian proposal that Israel withdraw its forces from the section of Hebron that was returned to the Palestinians under the 1990s interim accords but later reoccupied by Israel.

“In every place where you can prove that you are taking responsibility (for stopping terror attacks), we will pull out,” Peres told the Palestinians, according to the statement.