Taba crossing
An Egyptian soldier stands near the Egyptian national flag and the Israeli flag at the Taba crossing between Egypt and Israel. (photo credit:REUTERS

 

A senior Hamas delegation is preparing to head to Egypt for talks on a possible long-term truce between the Islamist movement and Israel, sources in the Gaza Strip revealed on Sunday.

The sources said that the delegation, which would be headed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, is also expected to visit Qatar and Turkey.

They said that it was not clear yet whether the Egyptian authorities had given permission to the Hamas officials to enter Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.

Other sources claimed that the Hamas delegation has been invited to a meeting in Cairo with the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service to discuss efforts to achieve a long-term truce with Israel.

Ahmed Yusef, a top Hamas official, was quoted last weekend as saying that significant progress has been achieved toward reaching a long-term truce in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas delegation is also scheduled to hold talks with the movement’s Doha-based leader, Khaled Mashaal as part of the efforts to strike a deal with Israel.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post