Egyptian Delegation Holds Talks With Palestinian Movements, Source Says

GAZA (Sputnik) - An Egyptian security services’ delegation has arrived in the Gaza Strip and met with the main Palestinian factions, the parties discussed de-escalation efforts, a source in one of the groups told Sputnik.

"The Egyptian delegation of the security services met tonight [on Sunday] with the movements Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, separately," the source said, adding that the talks focused on three issues: the lifting the blockade, reconciliation, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been under a blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel, which controls Gaza's airspace and territorial waters, as well as two of the three border crossing points. The third border checkpoint is controlled by Egypt.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi announced in May that his country was going to allocate $500 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

In October, a Hamas delegation visited Egypt to meet with intelligence officials. After the talks, Cairo reportedly promised to to ease movement through the Rafah crossing and initiate reconstruction.