Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A delegation from Islamic Hamas movement will visit Egypt on Monday for more discussions on achieving a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, a spokesman for the Islamic movement said on Saturday."

    The visit to Cairo aims at outlining the mechanisms for implementing the lull and the time to put it into effect," the spokesman Ayman Taha told reporters in Gaza.He added that Hamas has learnt that Israel has "an initial acceptance" of the Egyptian ceasefire offer.

    The Palestinian factions, led by Hamas, agreed on the Egyptian proposal. Last week, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman visited Israel to present the offer. Israel did not announce its acceptance of the ceasefire and linked its fate with resolving the issue of Gilad Shalit, a soldier held hostage by Hamas in Gazasince June 2006.

    The Egyptian offer is meant to ease the siege that Israel hasbeen imposing on Gaza since Hamas took over the territory lastJune. It also aims at stopping the increasing Israeli military operations in Gaza.

    Meanwhile, a Palestinian newspaper reported that Egypt plans to invite other Palestinian factions into Cairo again "to agree on the basics of performance for the next phase." Quoting Egyptian sources, Al-Quds daily added that Egyptexpects the Palestinian groups to agree on the lull's principles in return for a final Israeli acceptance of the truce.