CAIRO: Hamas’s Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in the group’s war with Israel in Gaza and a prisoner exchange.
Haniyeh arrived “in the Egyptian capital Cairo to hold discussions with Egyptian officials over the developments of the Zionist (Israeli) aggression on the Gaza Strip and other matters,” the group said in a statement.
Prior to his arrival in Cairo, Haniyeh had met in Doha with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, though details on the meeting were scant.
A source close to the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday that Haniyeh would head a “high-level” Hamas delegation to Egypt, where he is due to hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and others.
A source close to the Islamic Jihad group, which fights alongside Hamas in Gaza, said the group’s leader Ziad Nakhaleh is also expected in Cairo early next week for talks.
Both groups had posted videos earlier this week showing what they claimed were hostages still held in Gaza pleading for the Israeli government to secure their release.
