Egyptian representatives of Cairo’s Muslim Brotherhood government will visit Israel for talks on last November’s ceasefire with Hamas, according to UPI and the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency.
Five Israeli officials reportedly traveled to Cairo on Sunday for the second time ion a week.
Israel and Hamas are in effect holding indirect talks with Egypt as a mediator, but senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told Ma’an that the discussions should not be seen as political negotiations.
Hamas wants Israel to allow the entry of commercial goods into Gaza through the Rafiah border and the export of farm produce to Israel.
Al-Hayya was quoted as saying, “Israel has agreed to allow entry of construction material from Qatar which the Israelis refused before. This reflects that both sides have been holding talks behind the scenes to avoid alerting the public opinion in Egypt which refuses cooperation with Israel and the United States.”