A Palestinian delegation of officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad is in Egypt for talks on resolving the stalemate in the Gaza Strip.
The joint delegation crossed the border into Egypt Saturday.
Egypt has been trying to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas, which seized control of Gaza last June after battles with the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel closed its border with Gaza after the takeover, and has restricted fuel and electricity to pressure militants to stop firing rockets into Israel.
Saturday's talks are being held at the Rafah border crossing terminal. Egyptian national security officials are taking part in the discussions. In addition to a truce, Egypt is trying to persuade Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.
Russia's foreign minister has also urged Israel to end its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, calling it "unacceptable."
Sergei Lavrov said the blockade should be lifted to allow residents of Gaza to live a normal life. He spoke after a Friday meeting with Palestinian President Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Russia is preparing to host a Middle East peace conference this year as a follow-up to the U.S.-sponsored peace conference in December. Mr. Abbas has expressed a desire to attend the conference in Russia, but Israeli officials have not been enthusiastic about the idea.
The conference would focus, in part, on bringing Israel and Syria back to the negotiating table.
Source: By VOA News
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