Palestinian media reported on Sunday that the Hamas terrorist groups had sent delegations to Moscow and Cairo. The delegation in Cairo is set to discuss recent clashes and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip with Egyptian officials.
The Hamas delegation to Moscow is headed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and will discuss US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century" Middle East peace plan and Russia's role in supporting Palestinian rights, among other issues. A delegation headed by the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group is also planning on visiting Moscow, but an exact date has not been announced.Last week, almost 100 rockets were fired by the PIJ from the Gaza Strip towards communities in southern Israel. The IDF carried out widespread air strikes in response to the rocket fire and placed restrictions on entry permits and traffic through the border crossings into the Strip during the clashes, but removed the restrictions soon after a ceasefire reportedly came into effect on Monday night.The hostilities began on Sunday when Israel killed a PIJ terrorist who had planted an explosive device and prevented Palestinians from retrieving his body in a graphic video that went viral. Israel then came under a barrage of 26 rockets, leading the IAF to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against PIJ targets in Syria and throughout the Gaza Strip following earlier rocket fire, killing at least six terrorists.Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.