Egyptian security delegation in Gaza for talks with Hamas terrorist group leaders

A high-ranking Egyptian security delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to hold talks with the leaders of the Palestinian Resistance Movement (Hamas), Palestinian sources said.

The members of the delegations crossed into the besieged Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing between the coastal enclave and Israel, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

The sources declined to reveal more details on the purpose of the sudden visit, saying that the schedule of the visit was unclear.

Major General Ahmed Abdel Khaleq, chief of the Palestinian affairs in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, heads the delegation, according to the sources.

Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it seized control of the territory and ousted the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The visit of the Egyptian delegation, the first since December 2020, was made as the Palestinians are preparing to hold the legislative elections in the Palestinian territories.

Egypt sponsored two rounds of intra-Palestinian national dialogue in Cairo in February and March on holding the legislative elections scheduled on May 22 in the Palestinian territories.

In January, Abbas announced the 2021 general elections will include the legislative elections on May 22, the presidential elections on July 31, and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, on Aug. 31.

The last Palestinian presidential elections were held in March 2005, and the legislative elections in January 2006.

Source: Xinhua Net