For the first time in 30 years, Hamas Deputy Chief of the Political Bureau Abu Marzuk briefly entered the Gaza Strip at the Rafah border crossing. His visit could correlate to the recent debate on returning abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit before truce talks with Israel.
He recently attended reconciliatory discussion in Cairo between Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. While some reports indicated progress in the discussions, some officials warned of irreconcilable differences between the groups.
Meanwhile, Arab League representatives recently conclded a nearly week-long tour of the Gaza Strip in order to assess damage following Operation Cast Lead. Moreover, a Gaza rebuilding conference begins tomorrow in Cairo with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in attendance.
