Cairo - Egyptian archaeologists have discovered roughly 30 mummies in a previously unknown tomb in an ancient, sprawling cemetery south of Cairo, the government announced in a statement Monday.

Archaeologists discovered the tomb near the 4,650-year-old step pyramid at Saqqara, approximately 30 kilometres south of Cairo.

Scientists believe the tomb may have been used over the course of more than 1,700 years.

Cairo - A Hamas delegation was expected to return to Cairo Monday amid fresh signs the group may be prepared to agree within 48 hours to a long-term truce with Israel to end fighting in the gaza Strip.

Cairo's government-owned daily al-Gumhoriya on Monday cited unnamed "informed Egyptian sources" as saying that they expected Israel and Hamas could sign a truce agreement within the next two days.

Cairo - Officers from Egypt's domestic intelligence agency searched the home of detained German-Egyptian student activist Philip Rizk in the early hours of Monday, his sister and human rights lawyers lawyers said.

Rizk has been held at an unknown location since late Friday night after he and 14 activists finished a symbolic, 10-kilometre march in Cairo to protest against the blockade of Gaza.

Cairo  - Palestinian and Egyptian sources on Sunday indicated that Hamas may present a unified, final negotiating position on a long-term truce in Gaza as soon as Monday, local media reported.

But even as Hamas reportedly moved closer to accepting a truce, Palestinian militants fired a rocket at southern Israel, damaging cars but causing no casualties, Israeli military officials said.

A delegation of Hamas leaders from Gaza led my Mahmoud al-Zahar was due in Damascus Sunday for consultations with leaders in exile there.

Gaza - Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, emerged for the first time in public Saturday since the beginning of Israeli onslaught in December, heading a Hamas delegation for ceasefire talks in Cairo.

The four-person delegation crossed into Egypt this afternoon through Rafah terminal on Gaza-Egypt border.

Earlier on the day, the Hamas movement said talks to broker a ceasefire agreement with Israel had not failed, adding it will send a delegation to Egypt to talk more on the issue.

Cairo - Egyptian security forces on Friday arrested 60 members of the Muslim Brotherhood group as the banned opposition movement prepared to protest across the country, according to a security source.

The source said the arrests took place in five of Egypt's governorates ahead of the planned public action in solidarity in the eastern district of Nasr City, in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.