Jamaa Islamiya chief meets Haniyeh in Doha

Hamas has said in a statement that its Doha-based top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has received Mohammed Takkoush, the head of Lebanon's al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, a Sunni Muslim political and armed group in Lebanon that has been fighting against Israeli forces alongside Hezbollah.

The two Lebanese groups have been part of a “support front” that has maintained low-level clashes with Israeli forces with the aim of pulling them away from Gaza to ease the pressure on Hamas. In recent weeks, however, there have been increasing fears of a full-blown war on the Lebanon-Israel front.

Hamas officials had also met Friday in Lebanon with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as Israel and Hamas apparently return to the negotiating table for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Hezbollah said in a statement that Nasrallah had met with a delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas official who has represented the Palestinian militants in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage exchange. It said they had discussed “the latest developments in the negotiations” and “security and political developments” in Gaza and the region.