Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil arrived Friday in the Gaza Strip for a visit amid Israeli large- scale military operation in the coastal enclave.

Qandil arrived at the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza Friday morning.

The Egyptian prime minister's visit came two days after Israel announced "Operation Pillar of Defense" in the Gaza Strip and launched a series of air strikes, including one that killed Hamas armed wing chief Ahmed al-Jaabari Wednesday afternoon.

Hamas on Thursday welcomed Qandil's visit, saying that it " highly appreciate his decision to visit the Gaza Strip in these circumstances."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel agreed to stop airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for three hours during Qandil's visit, on condition that no rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel, Israeli media reported early Friday.