Egypt invites Palestinian factions for reconciliation talks: Report

By Ibrahim Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt has invited Palestinian factions for reconciliation talks in Cairo next week, local media reported.

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported that "the secretary generals of the Palestinian factions were invited to a meeting next week in Cairo under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas.”

According to the newspaper, the meeting will discuss “the necessary steps to end the division … and to lay down a road map for the next stage."

No statement was issued by the Egyptian presidency nor its Palestinian counterpart regarding the details of the meeting until 1242GMT.

An Egyptian-brokered truce that took effect in the early hours of May 21 ended Israel’s 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank killed at least 289 people, including women and children, and left behind a trail of destruction. Health centers and media offices as well as schools were among the structures targeted.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankar