Cairo, 16 August (H.S.):Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday night along with a delegation of senior Hamas leaders, ahead of a proposed Middle East visit by US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner.

According to reports citing Hamas sources, the visit will be al-Hayya’s first trip to Egypt since he assumed leadership of Hamas in late July. He is expected to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, with discussions likely to focus on efforts to strengthen a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

The Hamas delegation is scheduled to hold talks with Hassan Rashad, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service. The delegation includes Shura Council chief Mohammed Darwish, head of foreign relations Khaled Mashaal, Hamas chief in the West Bank Zaher Jabarin and head of the group’s Arab and Islamic Relations Office Bassem Naim.

The visit comes ahead of Kushner’s planned trip to Israel and Egypt next week. He is expected to seek ways to bridge differences over the Gaza plan and advance efforts aimed at reducing tensions in the region.

The broader US effort is being handled by a team that includes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, Kushner, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The talks in Cairo are expected to focus on the Gaza ceasefire and related issues as diplomatic efforts continue to find common ground among the parties involved.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar