Cairo, Oct 25 (IANS) High-ranking Egyptian security and military team met with a delegation from Israel to press for restoring talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV channel reported on Friday.

Citing an anonymous security official, the report said the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, and a delegation of Shin Bet security service attended the meeting, without detailing the time of the meeting. But an anonymous source told Xinhua news agency that it started on Thursday evening and lasted until the early hours of Friday.

The meeting is part of the intensive Egyptian efforts to revive negotiations to reach a ceasefire, and achieve stability in the region, the source added.

Egypt confirmed rejection of the ongoing military operation in the north of Gaza, he said, adding "Egypt warned against the Israeli continuation of hindering the access of the humanitarian aid to the enclave."

Earlier on Thursday, high-ranking Egyptian security officials met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in Cairo to discuss the current events in the Gaza Strip and the means to overcome the obstacles to achieving calm in the enclave.

Several rounds of talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza have been held in Doha and Cairo over the past months. However, these efforts have not resulted in an agreement to conclude the conflict that has lasted for more than a year.

--IANS

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