French Foreign Minister heads to Cairo as truce talks intensify

France's foreign minister will travel to Cairo on Wednesday in an unscheduled stop during a Middle East tour as efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza reach a critical point, a French diplomatic source said.

Diplomatic efforts towards securing a ceasefire were intensifying following a renewed push led by Egypt to revive stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group.

"The surprise visit of the minister is in the context of Egypt's efforts to free hostages and achieve a truce in Gaza," the source said.

France has three nationals still held hostage by Hamas after the group's assault on Israel in October.

Foreign minister Stephane Sejourne's trip to Egypt follows stopovers in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. He will likely want to assess whether those three hostages could be released and how close a deal actually is.

Reuters