31 December 2016•Update: 01 January 2017
By Mohamed Maged
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian group Hamas said it held “positive” talks with Egyptian officials during a recent visit to Cairo.
Senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouq had arrived in Cairo from Qatar for talks with Egyptian officials, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said.
“He held positive talks regarding Palestinian developments, bilateral relations and [inter-Palestinian] reconciliation,” Qasim told Anadolu Agency on Friday.
He said the talks also tackled the issue of the Rafah border crossing between the blockaded Gaza Strip and Egypt.
In recent years, Egyptian authorities have kept the crossing, which represents the Palestinian territory’s only point of access to the outside world not under Israeli control, mostly sealed.
The spokesman said the visit was part of continuous meetings between Hamas and Egypt.
There was no comment from Egyptian authorities on the Hamas official’s visit.
Relations between Egypt and Hamas have strained since the Egyptian military deposed former president Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 coup.
Egyptian media accuse Hamas of involvement in a spate of militant attacks in Sinai, a claim denied by the Palestinian group.
