Hamas expects to see an agreement with Israel over the reopening of border crossings into the Gaza Strip “within the next few days,” a spokesman for the movement said Saturday. “If the Egyptian efforts are successful at this time, we expect to reach an agreement within the next few days,” Fawzi Barhum said. His comments came as a delegation including senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar left Gaza for Cairo for top-level talks about a lasting truce in the territory. Egypt has been acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas to try to broker a lasting truce which would satisfy the Jewish state's demand for an end to weapons smuggling and Hamas demand to reopen Gaza's borders. It was the first time Zahar had been seen in public since Israel's massive 22-day war against Hamas which ended with both sides calling separate ceasefires on Jan. 18.
