Hamas leaders in Cairo for talks with Egypt officials

A Hamas delegation led by Saleh al-Arouri, the group’s Beirut-based deputy leader, arrived in Cairo on Monday to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian political arena with Egyptian officials.

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the delegation included leading group members Mousa Abu Marzouk, Izzat al-Rishq, Hussam Badran, Khalil al-Hayya and Rawhi Mushtaha.

Earlier Monday, al-Hayya and Mushtaha set out from the blockaded Gaza Strip for the Egyptian capital via the Rafah border crossing.

On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said a delegation from his Fatah movement would also visit Cairo this week to discuss Egyptian proposals — to which Hamas has reportedly already agreed — for Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.

READ: Fatah official: We have to respect Hamas, not dismantle it

Palestine’s two main political factions, Hamas and Fatah have remained bitter enemies since the former wrested the Gaza Strip from the latter in mid-2007.

According to informed sources, Egypt’s reconciliation proposal calls for the transfer of government bodies in Gaza from Hamas to the Fatah-led Palestinian government in Ramallah.

It also reportedly calls for the removal of all sanctions recently imposed on Gaza by Ramallah.

Earlier this month, Egypt invited Hamas leaders to Cairo to discuss prospects for inter-Palestinian reconciliation and ongoing tensions along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Palestinian domestic politics has remained deeply polarized since mid-2007 when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip after sweeping Palestinian legislative polls the previous year.

Since then, Fatah — which runs the Ramallah-based government — has retained partial administrative control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank.