Jerusalem- Hamas officials announced the arrival of a "high-ranking American delegation" to Gaza Saturday, according to a report by the Xinhua news agency. According to Gaza officials, the seven man delegation, from an organization called the National Institute for International Reconciliation, will be holding direct talks with the de-facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

 

According to reports, the delegation, headed by former American Ambassador to Iraq David Newton, crossed into Gaza from Egypt via Rafah and is discussing the possibility of reconciliation between Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.

 

At a press conference over the weekend, Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Youssef called for direct relations between Hamas and the United States. "We want open and stable ties with the American administration without the help of any mediators," he announced. Hamas is currently on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

 

US embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer said that he is not in the habit of following Hamas' announcements and had not heard of Newton's visit. He added that he "sincerely doubts" that the reports of the visit are true.

 

The 5 Towns Jewish Times was unable to contact Hamas for confirmation at this time, however the organization did republish the Xinhua story on its own Qassam.ps English news website.