Exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal will arrive in Cairo on Monday to discuss the internal Palestinian crisis with Egyptian mediators, a source told Xinhua.

The source, a Gaza-based Hamas official who asked his name not to be revealed, said Meshaal's visit is aimed at exploring the chances of resuming reconciliation talks between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.

Meshaal received an Egyptian invitation along with a group of Hamas officials to visit Cairo for talks, two days after Egypt held separate talks with Fatah, the source added.

The discussions followed deadly clashes between Hamas gunmen and pro-Abbas forces last week in the West Bank, in which four militants, four policeman and a civilian were killed. The armed battles are the worst since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after driving out Fatah to the West Bank.

The renewed tension put Egyptian efforts to reconcile Hamas and Fatah at risk. The talks Meshaal and Egypt were going to hold would focus on the aftermaths of the West Bank gun battles.

In February, Egypt succeeded in launching the first official talks between Hamas and Fatah in two years. The two sides hope to reach an agreement to restore political unity to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Egypt had urged the Palestinian factions to sign a national unity deal on July 7, but Hamas was considering withdrawal from the dialogue due to the violence flare-up in the West Bank.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2009)