UPDATES WITH ISLAMIC JIHAD VISIT, CHANGES HEADLINE
By Nour Abu Aisha and Hani al-Shaer
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Delegations from Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad left the Gaza Strip for Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian officials.
Led by group leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas delegation crossed the Rafah border crossing into Egyptian territory, a Palestinian security source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
An Islamic Jihad delegation also crossed the border terminal to meet with Egyptian officials, according to group spokesman Mosab al-Barem.
The visit comes two days after an Egyptian intelligence delegation on Friday held talks in Gaza with Hamas leaders on Palestinian developments, a proposed Hamas-Israel truce and inter-Palestinian reconciliation.
Recent months have seen Egyptian officials engage in intense shuttle diplomacy between the Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel, where they have held talks with Hamas, the Palestinian government and Israeli officials respectively.
