Cairo  - Palestinian factions have agreed to de-escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip during a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the Egyptian government said in a statement Wednesday.

According to the statement, two-day talks held by Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman with 12 Palestinian factions arrived at an agreement about a comprehensive, mutual and gradual de- escalation starting in the Gaza Strip then moving to the West Bank.

The statement added that the Palestinian consensus comes as part of a larger plan that aims at lifting the Israeli blockade of Gaza and ultimately ending Palestinian divisions.

Earlier, Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and discussed Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. (dpa)