Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi is expected to fly to Cairo on Monday for a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Choukri. This was the first visit by an Israeli Foreign Minister to Cairo since 2008 and focused on Egypt's efforts to broker a longtime ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip, in the wake of recent hostilities.
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In a tweet posted after he arrived in Cairo, Ashkenazi said that "during the visit, we will discuss regional issues as well as ways and means to strengthen our bilateral relations. We will discuss establishing a permanent ceasefire with Hamas, a mechanism for providing humanitarian aid, and the reconstruction of Gaza with a pivotal role played by the international community."
Israel, he stressed, is firest and foremost "fully committed to returning our MIA's held by the Hamas."
Thank you, FM #Sameh_Shoukry, for your invitation to visit #Egypt, the first formal visit of an Israeli FM in 13 years.
During the visit we will discuss regional issues as well as ways and means to strengthen our bilateral relations. pic.twitter.com/j6pcv4gs9T
— גבי אשכנזי - Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) May 30, 2021
According to Arab and Israeli media, Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel is expected to visit Israel on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and senior security officials.
Kamel will then travel to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The third stop on his visit will be Gaza, on Monday, where he is slated to meet with Hamas leaders.
An Egyptian delegation has also been in Gaza since Friday and informed Hamas officials that a truce with Israel should include the handing over of the bodies of two soldiers, killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and the return of two Israeli citizens held captive by the terrorist group.
According to Arab media reports, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who resides in Qatar, will personally head the terrorist group's delegation to the ceasefire talks in Egypt.
While in Cairo, Haniyeh will seek to promote issues including the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, resolving the rivalry with Fatah, and potentially forming a unity government with the Palestinian Authority so as to facilitate the rebuilding of the coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on Friday as part of talks aimed at bolstering the ceasefire deal.
"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reaffirmed the United States' staunch support for Israel's security," the Pentagon said in a statement after their discussion.
"He also shared the support expressed by the administration to establish lasting security based on the ceasefire," he added.
Ashkenazi's meeting with Choukri comes as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi is expected to travel to the United States for talks with US military leaders in an attempt to persuade Washington not to reinstate the Iran nuclear deal, Israeli media reported on Friday.
Kochavi was due to visit the United States in late April but canceled the trip due to escalating tensions with Gaza, which eventually emerged as Operation Guardian of the Walls.
Last week, Netanyahu and Gantz agreed to extend Kochavi's term in office for another year. The decision is pending the government's approval but sources privy to the issue say no opposition to the move is expected.
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