Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Friday night for talks on the current crisis of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.

Abbas was expected to have talks with President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday morning on an Egyptian initiative on Gaza ceasefire and means of ending the Israeli attacks, which has killed 801 Palestinians and wounded 3,300 others.

The meeting of the two leaders is the second one since Israeli launched its offensive against the Palestinian enclave on Dec. 27, 2008.

Abbas' visit coincided with the arrival of a delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement for talks with Egyptian mediators on a ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, Mubarak presented a three-point proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The Egyptian proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire for a limited period to allow for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and give Egypt time to continue its efforts to help reach a lasting truce.

Egypt would invite both Israel and the Palestinians for security talks and invite Palestinian factions for the resumption of their reconciliation talks.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza "leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces." It was approved by 14 votes in favor while the United States abstained.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)