Following high-level talks between senior Israeli and Egyptian officials on Sunday to shore up a fragile truce with the Hamas terrorist group and rebuild the Gaza, Egyptian officials said they would submit a long-term ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas within a matter of weeks.
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Egypt helped broker the May 21 truce to halt the worst fighting in years between Israel and Hamas, and is working with the United States and regional partners to expand it into a more permanent ceasefire.
Abbas Kamel, Egypt's intelligence chief, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat in Jerusalem. Netanyahu said he raised the issue of returning the remains of two IDF soldiers and two Israeli civilians as well as demands to prevent Hamas from gaining military strength or diverting resources meant for the civilian population.
The Israeli side stressed that Israel will respond forcefully to any Hamas violation of the ceasefire. According to Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya, Israel also presented Kamel with proof of Iranian involvement in Gaza.
Following the meeting, Kamel said, "The war against the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is a member, is a joint interest to [Egypt and Israel], for the sake of preserving regional stability."
Kamel also met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday and handed him a message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi affirming Egyptian support to Palestinians and Abbas.
Cairo is also expected to host talks among Palestinian factions to achieve unity between those in Gaza and the West Bank.
During a visit to the region last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was seeking to bolster Abbas and weaken Hamas as part of the ceasefire efforts.
In Cairo, meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry. The hours-long visit on Sunday was the first public one by an Israeli foreign minister to Egypt since 2008, according to the Israeli Embassy in Cairo.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said Shukry called for establishing an atmosphere to relaunch "serious and constructive" negotiations between the two sides. He also urged both sides to refrain from "any measures" that could hamper efforts to revive peace talks.
They also discussed the release of Israeli soldiers and citizens being held by Hamas, according to Ashkenazi.
"We all need to act to prevent strengthening extremist elements that threaten regional stability, and to ensure the return home of the missing persons and prisoners held by Hamas," Ashkenazi said in tweets after the meeting.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority over its moves at the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council, saying such activity damages the chances of future cooperation.
The ICC is investigating both Israel and Hamas for possible war crimes. Hamas is under investigation for indiscriminate rocket fire at Israeli civilian population centers.
In the meantime, senior Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials told Israel Hayom that el-Sissi and his advisers were highly prioritizing the success of Kamel's mediation efforts.
"[US President Joe Biden] and his administration have entrusted Cairo to secure an agreement in Gaza and regional stability. This is an opportunity for President el-Sissi to show Biden just how central and important Egypt's role is for regional stability," a senior Egyptian diplomat told Israel Hayom.
Al-Arabiya reported that Kamel presented a prisoner swap plan to both Hamas and Israel. A senior Hamas official in Gaza, however, along with several senior Egyptian officials, denied the report. One Egyptian official told Israel Hayom the report was baseless.
Hamas spokesman Abdelatif al-Qanou, however, said the group is open to discussing a prisoner swap with Israel.
Despite the ceasefire talks, Hamas and the smaller terrorist group Islamic Jihad have staged weapons parades in a show of force. On Sunday, thousands attended a Hamas rally in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, where masked terrorists displayed rockets, launchers and drones.
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