The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Friday that Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians are dead and doesn't exist.

Ismaael Haneya, who is also head of the movement's list that races for the legislative elections due on Jan. 25, made there marks while speaking to thousands of Hamas supporters waving green flags in a campaigning rally held in Gaza City's center. Haneya told the rally that Oslo agreements are dead, which had expired a long time ago.

Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under Yasser Arafat signed in 1993 a historic agreement in Oslo, according to which the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established and Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections were held.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other PNA officials have earlier asserted that the 2006 elections are held according to the Oslo agreements whether anyone accepts it or not. Haneya, however, told Hamas supporters that his movement decided to join the elections under the program of resistance and reforms and not under the Oslo agreements and its results. Hamas movement is running for the first time ever in the upcoming legislative election since it has been founded in 1988. It strongly competes with the ruling Fatah movement that suffered weakness and divisions in the past few years.

A poll has been conducted by a media and communication centerin Jerusalem, GMCC, showed that both rival movements, Fatah and Hamas, are in close race ahead of the Jan. 25 Palestinian parliamentary election.

The poll predicted Fatah would capture 32.3 percent of the vote in Wednesday's election, while Hamas would win 30.2 percent.