Leaders of Islamic Hamas movement and senior Egyptian security officials resumed on Sunday in Cairo the dialogue to discuss the ceasefire with Israel, a Hamas news website reported.
The Palestinian media network said that Hamas delegation met with Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to discuss the truce with Israel and the reopening of Gaza border crossings, including Rafah terminal.
Meanwhile, leaders of several Palestinian factions in Gaza said they received an Egyptian invitation to join the ceasefire dialogue in Cairo. The Islamic Jihad and several left-wing parties are planning to head to Egypt soon.
Damascus-based senior Hamas leader Mohamed Nazzal told the Hamas news website that the discussion with Suleiman will focus on the truce, reopening border crossings and the case of captive Israeli soldiers Gilad Shalit.
He added that "the issue of arms smuggling will be discussed, which Hamas is not interested to discuss because arms are not smuggled from Egypt to Gaza, it is smuggled from Gaza to Egypt."
Ayman Taha, a Hamas truce negotiator, who is currently in Cairo, had earlier said "the aim of the talks with Egyptian security officials is first to reach a long term ceasefire (with Israel)."
The website published Hamas conditions to achieve a ceasefire, saying that "Hamas wants a ceasefire with all border crossings permanently opened and end the full tight blockade on Gaza Strip."
Hamas also wants Rafah border crossing between Gaza Strip and Egypt to reopen "because it is the only Gaza window to the outside world.
"Hamas accepts the presence of European observers as well as security officers belong to President Mahmoud Abbas, within certain arrangement that Hamas refused to give more details about it," said the website.
Last Sunday, Hamas and Gaza militant groups accepted a one-week ceasefire with Israel to give the diplomatic movement an opportunity to reinforce a longer term of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2009)