The Times of Israel reports: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has reportedly urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a “graded reconciliation” with Hamas as part of a deal that would see the 82-year old take control of the Gaza Strip.

Meeting on Saturday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh, Sissi encouraged Abbas to back the terms of an emerging ceasefire agreement aimed at calming months of violence on the Israel-Gaza border, Hadashot news reported Saturday night.

The deal, first reported by Lebanon’s Al-Akbar newspaper on Friday, would last for three years and see a significant easing of the Egyptian and Israeli blockades on the Hamas-controlled territory.

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