CAIRO (AP) — A Hamas and a Fatah official met in Cairo on Monday ahead of the start of reconciliation talks between the rival Palestinian factions this week in the Egyptian capital, an official told The Associated Press.

The meeting was the first in what is to be a week of key negotiations, including a round of talks with Israel on how to cement the Aug. 26 truce that ended a 50-day war in Gaza this summer and on lifting the blockade on the narrow Mediterranean coastal strip.