CAIRO (Dispatches) – Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first in a series of talks this week between Egyptian authorities and Palestinian factions that aim to reinforce a ceasefire with the Zionist regime, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said.
Haniyeh’s visit came in response to a special invitation from Cairo, in advance of a broader meeting of Palestinian factions that could begin as early as next week, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Reuters.
Egypt brokered a ceasefire between the Zionist regime and Hamas resistance movement in Gaza, after 11 days of bombardment of the coastal strip by the Zionist regime and barrages of thousands of retaliatory rocket attacks on the occupied territories by resistance movements.
More than 250 Palestinians were killed in hundreds of air strikes on Gaza by the Zionist regime during the conflict.
Haniyeh and Egyptian officials will discuss cementing the truce with the occupying regime as well as reconstruction plans for Gaza, Qassem said. Egypt has said it will allocate $500 million for the reconstruction.
Egyptian authorities hope to meet members of Fatah, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Egyptian sources said. Fatah controls the West Bank.
Egypt has tried in the past to foster cooperation between Palestinian factions that is seen as crucial to any wider efforts to promote peace in the region.
A delegation from Fatah led by Jibril Rajoub is expected in Cairo in the coming days, a Palestinian official said.