'Progress made' on Israel truce in talks between Egyptian intelligence, Hamas

Discussions between Egypt and the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers on rebuilding the besieged enclave after Israeli last May's deadly Israeli assault have reportedly made progress, the Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

Representatives of Hamas spoke with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service (GIS), on a variety of topics on Monday, according to a Hamas insider.

"Progress has been made regarding the cease-fire understandings, accelerating the reconstruction process and easing the blockade," the source said.

Reports suggested that Hamas's leader, Yahya Sinwar, would be in attendance at the discussions in Cairo.

Both Cairo and Hamas' representatives are agreed that the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group must be strengthened, the Hamas source said.

The Hamas source also reported that Egypt promised to work on boosting the besieged enclave's economy and permit items in through the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai region.

An Egyptian-mediated ceasefire came into force in May after a deadly 11-day bombing campaign by Israel left 256 Palestinians dead in Gaza, while causing serious damage to homes and infrastructure.

In Israel, rocket fire from Hamas and other Gaza militants led to 13 deaths.

The coastal Palestinian enclave has been subject to a crippling Israeli siege for 14 years, and the civilian population of over 2 million has suffered immensely.