Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he demanded – during his meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in Tel Aviv – to return the soldiers and civilians held in Gaza as soon as possible, while Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh and his Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki begin an Arab tour.
Netanyahu added that he discussed with the head of Egyptian intelligence mechanisms to prevent the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) from strengthening its military capabilities, and to use the resources that will be directed in the future to support the residents of Gaza.
The talks focused on fixing a long-term ceasefire and setting up a reconstruction mechanism in the Gaza Strip, in which Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabat held a long meeting with the head of Egyptian intelligence on these specific issues.
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To meet the Palestinian President
After his meetings with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, the director of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, began his talks with President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
During his meeting with Minister Kamel, the Palestinian President reviewed developments related to the comprehensive calm in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and reconstruction, as well as the Palestinian national dialogue file.
During the meeting, the Palestinian President valued the positions, efforts and initiative of Egypt, led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to support the Palestinian people and support their just cause.
For his part, Minister Abbas conveyed the greetings of President El-Sisi to his Palestinian counterpart, and said that Egypt will continue to coordinate and work with the State of Palestine in all steps and initiatives.
Minister Abbas Kamel will travel Monday morning to Gaza to meet with the leaders of the Palestinian factions there, specifically the leadership of Hamas.
These moves come within the framework of efforts to achieve the Egyptian initiative to establish a cease-fire in Gaza and to establish a mechanism to monitor the implementation of reconstruction projects.
Tour and military parade
On the other hand, Shtayyeh and al-Maliki will start an Arab tour that includes Jordan, Kuwait and Oman on Monday, and a source in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry confirmed that contacts are taking place with Qatari officials to include Qatar as well.
The source stressed that the tour aims to stabilize the calm in the Gaza Strip and occupied Jerusalem, and to find steps to contribute to the reconstruction of the Strip, and to thank these countries for their support for the Palestinian cause.
For its part, Hamas and its military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades , organized a festival to commemorate the martyrs of the northern Gaza Strip in the recent war on the Strip.
A military convoy of Al-Qassam Brigades roamed the streets in the northern Gaza Strip displaying missiles, missiles and drones that were used during the war.
A number of leaders of Hamas participated in the festival, headed by the head of the movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, where the movement confirmed the resistance’s readiness to defend the Palestinian people and their sanctities.
Cairo talks
On the other hand, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi arrived in Cairo for a visit that lasts a few hours, the first for an Israeli foreign minister to Cairo in 13 years. Ashkenazi met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and a number of senior officials.
Upon his arrival in Cairo, the Israeli minister said that he would discuss the mechanisms of de-escalation and the reconstruction of Gaza under international supervision.
He added that he would focus in his talks on Israel’s commitment to the priority of returning Israeli soldiers who are in Hamas’s grip, as he put it.
These moves came on the heels of a tour by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in the region last Wednesday and Thursday, which included Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan, during which he sought to install a ceasefire with the Palestinian factions, and to mobilize the international community to advance relief efforts in Gaza