GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas' political leader arrived in Cairo on Thursday at the head of a delegation for talks with Egypt's intelligence chief on the current situation in the Gaza Strip as it continues to face intense Israeli attacks.

The delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh "met with Gen. Abbas Kamel, the chief of the General Egyptian Intelligence Service, and discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip," said a statement by the Palestinian resistance group.

Khaled Meshaal, who heads Hamas' diaspora office, and Khalil al-Hayya, a member of its political bureau, are also in the delegation, according to the statement.

The visit marks Ismail Haniyah's first visit to Egypt since the outbreak of the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, including over 4,000 children, since Oct. 7 when the conflict began following a cross-border attack by Hamas that killed over 1,4000 people in Israel

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala