By Andrew Mills

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt/CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) -Hamas officials were in Egypt on Monday ahead of talks with Israel that the U.S. hopes will bring a halt to war in Gaza and release of hostages despite contentious issues like disarmament of the Palestinian militant group under Donald Trump’s plan.

Israeli negotiators were also due to travel to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh later in the day for talks about freeing hostages, part of the U.S. president’s 20-point blueprint for ending the two-year-old conflict.

The Israeli delegation includes officials from spy agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk and hostages coordinator Gal Hirsch.

However, Israel’s chief negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Derm

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