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A delegation from Egypt’s intelligence service arrived in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to continue talks with Hamas leaders on inter-Palestinian reconciliation and truce with Israel.
The delegation crossed into Gaza via the Erez crossing, an official working at the crossing said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.
The Egyptian delegation has been holding a shuttle diplomacy between the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel for several days, during which they are meeting with officials of Hamas, Fatah and the Israeli government.
The talks are taking part with a view to reaching a truce between Hamas and Israel in one side and achieving Palestinian reconciliation between the Palestinian rivals.
Wednesday's visit is the third by the Egyptian delegation to the Gaza Strip within a week.
On October 3, a Hamas delegation concluded a four-day visit to Cairo where they held talks with Egyptian officials on truce and Palestinian reconciliation.
The Palestinian rift between Fatah and Hamas has prevailed since the latter won the overwhelming majority in the 2006 parliamentary elections and seized control of Gaza after deadly infighting a year later.
Israel is now a “big brother” for the Jewish people around the world, U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman said on Wednesday.“We in the diaspora need to give Israel a break,” Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Friedman as saying at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America held in Tel Aviv.“Israel is no longer the little brother; Israel is the big brother now. It has the biggest Jewish community,” he added.The U.S. envoy went on to describe himself as a “security hawk and an unapologetic right-wing defender of Israel”.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America on Wednesday.A staunch backer of Israel, Friedman has made frequent statements in support of Israel’s longstanding policy of Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.Israel resumes fuel shipments to GazaIsrael Aerospace wins $777 mln India contract for missile defence
Israel is now ‘big brother’: US envoy