CAIRO
An Israeli negotiating team arrived in Cairo Sunday for resumed indirect talks with the Palestinians on a permanent ceasefire in the blockaded Gaza Strip, security sources at the Cairo airport said.
The Israeli negotiators, who arrived from Tel Aviv aboard a chartered plane, were welcomed by Egyptian intelligence officials who escorted them to the venue of talks, the sources told Anadolu Agency.
On Wednesday, the Palestinians and the Israelis agreed to extend for five more days an Egyptian-brokered three-day Gaza ceasefire to give more room for the indirect talks in hopes of reaching a long-term truce in the embattled coastal enclave.
The talks follow more than a month of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory, leaving nearly 1980 Palestinians dead and around 10,000 others injured.
About 64 Israeli troops were also killed in Gaza combat, while three civilians were killed by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, according to official Israeli figures.
By Mahmoud al-Husseini
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
