Gaza, Apr 7 (IANS): A high-ranking Egyptian security delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip to hold talks with the leaders of the Islamic Hamas movement, Palestinian sources said.

The delegation members on Tuesday crossed into the besieged Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing between the coastal enclave and Israel, Xinhua news agency quoted the sources as saying.

The sources declined to reveal more details on the purpose of the sudden visit, saying that the schedule was unclear.

Major General Ahmed Abdel Khaleq, chief of the Palestinian affairs in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, heads the delegation, according to the sources.

Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it seized control of the territory and ousted the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The visit of the Egyptian delegation, the first since December 2020, took place as preparations were on for the May 22 legislative elections in the Palestinian territories.

Egypt sponsored two rounds of intra-Palestinian national dialogue in Cairo in February and March on holding the polls.

Besides the legislative polls, the presidential elections will take place on July 31, while the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, is slated for August 31.

The last Palestinian presidential elections were held in March 2005, and the legislative polls in January 2006.