by Yu Zhongwen, Abdel Meguid Kamal
Talks of various Palestinian groups aimed to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel are set to start in Egypt on Tuesday, but the complexity of the situation and the recent violence between Israel and Palestinian militants make it a tougher task for Egyptian mediators to narrow the gap between the two conflicting sides.
According to earlier report, delegations of various Palestinian groups arrived in Egypt on Monday to coordinate their stances on the ceasefire deal with Israel.
Representatives from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Popular Struggle Front (PSF) crossed into Egypt via the border town of Rafah, the Egyptian official MENA news agency said.
A delegation of the Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War (Al- Saiqa) also arrived Monday in Cairo from Damascus to participate in the talks.
However, leading Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah will not participate in the two-day talks sponsored by Egypt that has been leading the efforts to broker the truce.
On Monday, Hamas briefed the Palestinian factions on its final response to the peace efforts, saying it would accept a truce deal that coincides with lifting the siege and halting of Israeli strikes for six months.
Hamas has recently finished talks with Egyptian officials over a possible ceasefire deal with Israel, and is waiting for Israeli responses that are expected to pass through Egyptian mediators.
Meanwhile, during a short visit to Egypt on Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah movement voiced his full support for Cairo's mediation efforts.
Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Nabil Amr said now that Fatah has granted its approval, there will be no need for the movement to send a delegation to Cairo for the talks.
Samir Gatas, a Palestinian expert on politics currently in Cairo, said it is very difficult to reach a ceasefire deal between the Palestinian groups and Israel.
