Hamas chief Haniyeh arrives in Egypt for talks on Gaza

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived on Thursday in Egypt for talks about the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip since Israel's war began on 7 October.

A Hamas delegation met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel "for discussions on the current situation in the Gaza Strip", the group said in a statement.

Haniyeh's visit comes as Qatar is negotiating the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting for a few days, according to a source close to the negotiations.

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Israeli and US spy chiefs were in Qatar for talks on a "potential humanitarian pause" to the war in the Gaza Strip, an official with knowledge of the visit said Thursday.

Egypt, alongside Qatar, had been involved in previous talks which led to the release, at the end of October, of two women kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israeli territory on October 7.

Around 240 hostages have been taken during the Hamas attacks that also led to the deaths of 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.

Israel has launched a relentless military campaign on the Gaza Strip, with air, land and sea assaults, killing more than 10,800 Palestinians, mainly children, women and elderly.