Three Islamic Hamas movement leaders left Gaza on Friday night, heading to Cairo for talks with senior Egyptian officials to reach a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip, a Hamas source said.

The source said that the three Hamas leaders, Ayman Taha, JamalAbu Hashim and Salah el-Bardawil left Gaza and crossed into Egypt through Rafah border crossing between the two sides.

Two other Hamas leaders, Mohamed Nasser and Imad el-Alami coming from Syria would also arrived in Cairo on Friday night, said the source, adding that the talks with the Egyptian officials would continue for two days.

As senior Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, including deposed premier of Hamas government Ismail Haneya, are still hiding in fear Israeli warplanes would target them, the above five leaders are less influential to hold talks with the Egyptians.

A French-Egyptian initiative on ceasefire with Israel presented to the Hamas movement several days ago.

"The aim of Hamas delegation's visit is to clarify some points in the Egyptian initiative," Musa Abu Marzooq, a senior Hamas leader based in Damascus told Qatari TV channel al-Jazeera.

"The delegation would check out whether the initiative would be immediately implemented as one package, or it would be gradually implemented," said Abu Marzooq.

He demanded for Israeli withdrawal from all the Gaza Strip and stopping all kinds of aggression on the strip.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)