Gaza City, Aug 22: The Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas issued a joint statement today formally ending their seven-week-old truce because of an Israeli air strike that killed a top militant leader. The statement blamed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for wrecking the truce that the Palestinian militants declared unilaterally on June 29 and which Israel considered dead after a massive suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Tuesday. "We announced our initiative together on June 29 and we announce together today that Sharon is ending the ceasefire," the statement said. Bureau Report