Iranian delegation to set out for Gaza

An Iranian parliamentary delegation will attempt to visit the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to the Iranian state-owned PressTV.

The six-member delegation will be led by parliamentarian Hassan Kamran, and will meet with families of victims of the fighting in the coastal strip.

The team intends to cross into Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt.

However, there is no guarantee that the lawmakers will get anywhere near Gaza. Egypt has yet to give them visas, and the government in Cairo sees Hamas as a hostile organization.

Relations between Egypt and Iran have traditionally been frosty. Iran objects to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and close ties with the US, while Egypt backed Baghdad in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Iran treated the assassin of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat as a hero, and the deposed Shah of Iran is buried in Cairo. Egypt does not maintain an embassy in Tehran.

However, ties have thawed somewhat in recent years, with the resumption of direct flights, and mutual visits by senior officials.

Hamas asked for a 24-hour ceasefire Sunday, to which Israel has yet to respond. Rockets from Gaza continued to strike Israel after the request.