Abu Nasira served a lengthy prison term in the 1980s for terrorist operations. He fled from Nafha Prison and was recaptured after roughly a week and a half. After his release, he functioned as an official in the Palestinian Authority security apparatus following the Oslo Accords, ascending to a senior rank before retiring. Throughout the war, his son was reportedly killed, and Abu Nasira himself lately received threats from Hamas intelligence and internal security mechanisms.

In video footage distributed on social media, Abu Nasira spoke to a formation of approximately 20 armed combatants standing in line, stating, "Your dirtiest shoe is more honorable than the biggest fake in Hamas. I am Shawqi Abu Nasira, I don't want to talk about myself. Whoever catches a collaborator can kiss my ass. From the most senior in Hamas – Khalil al-Hayya – to the smallest operative."

Video: The anti-Hamas faction in the Gaza Strip / Credit: Social media

He then directed the combatants to shout aloud, "The dogs' barks don't frighten the lions. Death to Hamas! Death to Hamas!" Abu Nasira continued, "We left our families and homes to liberate the families and our people from Hamas, Persian Iran. Enemies of Islam and the Sunnis. Clear? You are not collaborators, you are the best of the people. Whoever told Hamas 'no' is a hero. It doesn't matter if it's me or someone else." In his words, "We, all the people, in Hamas' eyes are considered spies. Whoever says 'no' is a lion."

This constitutes another militia functioning in the Khan Younis region opposing Hamas. Additionally, the force of Husam al-Astal, a former Palestinian Authority intelligence official, functions there. Beyond this, at least three additional armed factions exist from northern Gaza to its south, the most prominent being Yasser Abu Shabab's Popular Forces in eastern Rafah.

Since the ceasefire in October, Hamas circles disseminated rumors asserting some militia members surrendered to them or were killed in firefights. Nevertheless, the rumors were refuted, including by Abu Shabab's faction.

In recent days, Yasser Abu Shabab's faction announced they are sustaining direct cooperation with the Peace Council as part of President Donald Trump's plan. Abu Shabab's deputy, Rasan al-Duhaini, proclaimed they would execute missions in Rafah against "illegal armed elements," apparently referring to Hamas, "in certain areas of Rafah."

Meanwhile, a Hamas source informed the Saudi channel Asharq on Sunday morning that a delegation from the terror organization is in Cairo to discuss arrangements for forming a management committee for the Gaza Strip. Per the source, discussions in Cairo are being conducted between senior Hamas officials and senior Egyptians, including other Palestinian organizations. Simultaneously, sources informed the Saudi channel Al-Hadath that a Hamas delegation reached Cairo to discuss details of the transition to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

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Hamas officially announced on Monday its acceptance of the mediators' proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire. The statement was brief, noting that Hamas, along with other Palestinian terror groups, responded positively to the Egyptian-Qatari proposal. This followed a meeting in Cairo with Palestinian delegations, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front, and a representative of Mohammed Dahlan's faction, who met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al-Thani.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations and the proposal's details, as reported by Al-Akhbar, a newspaper considered close to Hamas, the proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire, a two-phase Israeli withdrawal (initially up to 1,000 meters from the border in the north and east of the strip), the release of ten living hostages, the transfer of 18 bodies, and in return, the release of 140 terrorists serving life sentences and 60 others with sentences exceeding 15 years, as well as the release of all minor and female terrorists. It also includes extensive aid delivery through the UN and Red Cross.

The proposal also initiates negotiations to end the war immediately upon the temporary ceasefire's activation and discusses establishing a temporary administrative committee in Gaza. However, Arab and international suggestions to deploy foreign or Arab forces were rejected by Egypt. An Egyptian source said, "Cairo does not see the proposals to send foreign or Arab forces to Gaza as anything but an attempt to impose a reality on the ground, which would harm its influence on the Palestinian issue." The source added that Egypt, with Qatar's support, is pushing for a community support committee under Palestinian Authority supervision to manage Gaza post-war. The source further noted that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa will work to announce this committee in the coming days, responding to Egyptian pressure.

A source also provided details to Palestinian media about the redeployment of Israeli forces under the mediators' proposal, specifying a range of approximately 750–1,000 meters across various Gaza areas. Several issues were deferred for discussion during the 60-day ceasefire, including Gaza's weapons, the presence of international or Arab forces, Gaza's governance, and ending the war. The source claimed that any potential disputes are limited to the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Hamas officials emphasized that this issue "will not be an obstacle."

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Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim on Sunday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled out. The two sides blamed each other for the impasse.

In their second day of truce talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas negotiators maintained their stance that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials said. Egyptian sources said CIA Director William Burns, who has also been involved in previous truce talks, arrived in Cairo on Friday.

Israeli officials have not traveled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy, but on Sunday Netanyahu reiterated Israel's aim since the start of the war nearly seven months ago – to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for good or else endanger Israel's future security.

The prime minister said Israel was willing to pause fighting in Gaza to secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, believed to be a number more than 130. "But while Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power," Netanyahu said. "Israel cannot accept that."

In a statement released shortly after Netanyahu's, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the group is still keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that ends the Israeli "aggression," guarantees Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and achieves "a serious" deal to free Israelis being held hostage in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Haniyeh blamed Netanyahu for "the continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties."

Israel has given a preliminary nod to terms that one source said included the return of between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a truce of several weeks. That would leave around 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom Israel says have died in captivity. The source, who asked not to be identified by name or nationality, told Reuters their return may require an additional deal. Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that would see the remaining hostages brought home.

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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived in Cairo on Thursday on a diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening ties and shoring up the tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

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Lapid met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and the country's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for talks that reflected budding ties between Egypt and the new Israeli government. Egypt's intelligence chief also participated in the meetings.

Egypt, the first Arab country to reach a peace agreement with Israel, has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, who have fought four wars since the terrorist group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, most recently an 11-day conflict in May, and Egypt has been working quietly to arrange a long-term truce.

Hamas demands that Israel ease restrictions on the strip, while Jerusalem is seeking the release of two Israeli captives and the remains of two dead soldiers held by the group.

The Foreign Ministry said Lapid presented a plan to develop Gaza's economy in return for assurances of quiet, and eventually disarmament, by Hamas. It said the plan must address "the issue of captives and missing persons."
Lapid also discussed Israeli efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, whose forces were toppled by Hamas in 2007. PA President Mahmoud Abbas governs only limited autonomous areas in the West Bank.

Lapid also raised concerns about the Iranian nuclear program and expressed desire to ramp up cooperation with Egypt in the civilian fields of economics, energy, agriculture, and trade, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"Egypt is an especially important strategic partner for Israel," he said. "My goal is to strengthen our security, diplomatic, and economic relations with Egypt. It's important to continue to work on the peace between our two nations."

Upon his arrival, Lapid was welcomed by el-Sissi, who stressed Egypt's commitment to a two-state solution and to achieving a "comprehensive and just" peace in the Middle East, according to a statement released by his office.

Lapid's visit came three months after Bennett held talks with el-Sissi in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. It was the first official trip to Egypt by an Israeli premier in over a decade.

Shoukry said Egypt supported efforts to rehabilitate Gaza following the conflict in May, and supported the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in order to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, based on the two-state solution.

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Israel must either authorize the transfer of $8 million in funds for the payment of the terrorist organization's employees or face an escalation, Hamas has warned according to reports.

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The Qatari envoy to the Gaza Strip Mohammed Al-Emadi is set to arrive in the region this week in an attempt to find a solution to Hamas' demand for cash to pay its officials, Israel Hayom has learned. Al-Emadi, who visited Israel and Gaza just last week, announced a framework had been reached to allow the transfer of employee salaries, however, senior Hamas officials said the funds had not been transferred.

"Gaza has reached boiling point," they said, "and all of the pressure will be directed at Israel."

Palestinian media outlets quoted close associates of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar as saying, "Hamas is done being patient. Now, all options are on the table."

Another cause for concern is the lack of progress in negotiations in Cairo on the rehabilitation of Gaza and efforts to cement the ceasefire reached following May's Operation Guardian of the Walls, as well as reports talks to negotiate a prisoner-exchange deal had reached a dead end.

According to reports coming out of Gaza, Hamas has denied Egyptian reports in which senior Cairo officials said significant progress had been made in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on these issues. This in addition to a deal between Israel and Hamas within the framework of which Israel would release Hamas prisoners, including those with blood on their hands, in return for the return of the bodies of Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, who were killed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, and information on the fate of the Israeli captives being held alive in Hamas captivity, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

A Hamas official said, "We have informed our Egyptian brothers that our patience has run out," senior Hamas politburo official Izzat al-Risheq told Voice of Palestine Radio. "Israel is creating difficulties, not allowing the transfer of funds to Gaza, and we are being asked to grit our teeth. We won't agree to that."

Next week will be critical for the coastal enclave, a senior Hamas official told Israel Hayom.

"If Israel continues to procrastinate and doesn't allow the transfer of salary payments, the escalation will come. All the easing of restrictions on the Gaza Strip are a joke. The Egyptians are on Israel's side for the meantime, but they also understand who is guilty here. Hamas is interested in a deal, and Israel is only making things difficult. This will blow up in Israel's face," the official warned.

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One of the Middle East's most famous cities is undergoing a revival, as Egyptian authorities have launched a project to restore historic areas of Cairo to its former glory.

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The history of Historic Cairo – that existed before the city's expansion during the 19th and 20th centuries - dates back centuries, but currently many parts of the thousand-year-old World Heritage Site are deteriorating.

This has prompted architects and restorers to begin the project, as they fear that ancient artifacts might otherwise be lost.

According to the lead coordinator of the project, during renovations, residents will relocate to low-rise apartments that will be built on vacant lots in the district. Several courtyards will also be turned into boutique hotels for tourists. The government aims to renovate about 10% of the area within the first two years of the plan.

Restorations have already begun on one site, an ancient cemetery and burial site of a pharaoh.

Historic Cairo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO – the United Nation's cultural heritage agency – in 1979.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the former head of the military council that ruled Egypt temporarily after its 2011 popular uprising, has died at the age of 85, Egypt's presidency said on Tuesday, declaring three days of national mourning.

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President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led mourners at a military funeral ceremony for Tantawi at a mosque bearing his name in Cairo Tuesday afternoon.

Tantawi, a decorated war veteran who fought against Israel in the 1956 Suez Crisis, 1967 Six-Day War, and 1973 Yom Kippur War, served as defense minister for 21 years, for most of the presidency of Hosni Mubarak.

He led the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that ruled Egypt for a year-and-a-half after Mubarak was ousted from power in February 2011 during the Arab Spring.

Tantawi was too close to Mubarak to be personally popular with protesters who led the uprising in Tahrir Square, though the army's move to appease the demonstrators by deposing Mubarak won some support for the military as an institution.

But while Tantawi sought to project a more down-to-earth image after assuming power, being pictured chatting with passersby near Tahrir Square, many saw him as someone who sought to preserve the privileges of the military.

Tantawi was sacked as defense minister in August 2012, a few weeks after the Islamist Mohammed Morsi became president in what was described as the first free and fair presidential election in Egypt's modern history.

Tantawi only reappeared when then-military chief el-Sissi took power after leading the military overthrow of Morsi in 2013 amid mass protests.

On Tuesday el-Sissi said a major military base in east Cairo would be named after Tantawi.

In a statement, el-Sissi hailed Tantawi as "a statesman who took on the responsibility of running the country during a very difficult period."

El-Sissi also defended Tantawi's time in power, which witnessed a series of bloody incidents amid the political turmoil that followed the uprising.

"This man is innocent of any bloodshed... any of the things that took place during this period of conspiracy to bring down the state," el-Sissi said in televised remarks.

El-Sissi said Tantawi had fretted over how history would judge his record as the man who had handed power to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group in 2012.

"This issue hurt him very, very much because he... understood the damage this group's rule would cause Egypt," el-Sissi said.

After Morsi's overthrow, el-Sissi outlawed the Brotherhood and jailed much of its leadership.

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Egyptian and Turkish officials concluded two days of talks in Cairo aimed at resetting ties between the two regional powers with no clear progress, Thursday. In a joint statement, both sides vowed to evaluate the outcome of their first round of consultations before agreeing on the next move.

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Egypt and Turkey have been at loggerheads since the Egyptian military's 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, a group supported by Turkey. Egypt has designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

The talks were chaired by Hamdi Loza, Egypt's deputy foreign minister, and his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal. Diplomats from both countries said they had discussed bilateral relations and several regional issues, including the situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and the need to achieve peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean region. They hailed the deliberations as "frank" and "in-depth."

The joint statement did not provide any further details.

Earlier, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry described the talks as "exploratory discussions" to outline necessary steps toward the normalization of relations between Cairo and Ankara.

Recently, top Turkish officials signaled a warming of ties with Egypt, a shift from their previous, sharply critical approach to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in March that the two countries have had "intelligence, diplomatic, and economic" contacts, adding that he hoped for "strong" ties between them.

A week later, Erdogan's government asked three Istanbul-based Egyptian TV channels linked to the Muslim Brotherhood to soften their critical political coverage of el-Sissi's government, according to editors at the stations. The TV channels promptly stopped broadcasting some political programs.

Egypt welcomed the move, calling it a "good initiative from the Turkish side that establishes a favorable atmosphere to discuss issues of dispute between the two nations."

However, Egyptian officials say Turkey must take substantial steps toward "genuine" talks to mend ties, including withdrawing hundreds of Turkish troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries brought to Libya by Turkey, and also hand over Islamists wanted by Egypt on terror-related charges.

Egypt and Turkey have been supporting opposing sides in Libya. Egypt, Greece, and some other European countries were angered by a 2019 Turkish deal with Libyan officials that aimed to boost Turkish maritime rights and influence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Egypt and Greece responded by signing a separate deal to delineate their maritime boundaries, a deal Ankara rejected.

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Egypt has temporarily suspended talks on the normalization of ties with Turkey, according to a report in the Saudi-owned and Dubai-based Al Arabiya news channel over the weekend.

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The move also includes an immediate freeze of security cooperation.

One of the reasons for the move is Turkey's failure to quickly answer Cairo's demand it immediately act to remove Turkish mercenaries from Egypt's conflict-ridden neighbor to the west, Libya, among other things.

In an attempt to ease tensions, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to wish him a happy Ramadan ahead of the monthlong holiday.

The situation is a complex one for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Around one month ago, his government began to restrict Muslim Brotherhood activity in Turkey, ordering Istanbul-based TV channels affiliated with the Islamist group to immediately stop their criticism of Egypt.

While Turkey has committed to implementing additional steps by the end of Ramadan to placate Egypt, Cairo has demanded immediate action on this front.

While Turkey is looking to sign a maritime border agreement with Egypt, according to a report in Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, Cairo sees Ankara's recent steps as far from sufficient. The recent halt in talks is due to the Turks moving to implement the Egyptian demand two senior Muslim Brotherhood members, Yahya Musa and Alaa al-Samahi, be immediately extradited, in two separate stages.

The Egyptians have refused to hold officials talks with the Turks in Cairo ahead of April.

In the meantime, Turkish authorities have temporarily revoked the Turkish citizenship of several senior Muslim Brotherhood figures.

According to Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an expert on Turkish politics and foreign policy at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkey's support for the Muslim Brotherhood is rooted both in ideology and "what it sees as vital coordination with Qatar."

Yanarock said, "Qatar and Turkey are known as two states that support the Muslim Brotherhood movement. At the same time, Turkey needs Qatar financially, and as a result, it cannot make an independent decision without Qatar.

"From an ideological standpoint, Erdogan was shocked by a recent letter sent by 103 former Turkish admirals [in which they warned Turkey's military was undergoing a process of Islamization] and he emphasized military coup culture. If he now takes steps against the Muslim Brotherhood, within Turkey, they will say he's taking steps against the culture of military coups although outside of the country he is normalizing ties with Egypt under [President Abdel Fattah] el-Sissi. He could be portrayed as two-faced on a policy level," he said.

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Around 60 Israeli and Egyptian businesspeople took part in the largest bilateral meeting held between the two countries in the last 20 years. The meeting, held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh was aimed at expanding economic cooperation beyond textile manufacturing and natural gas, the latter of which Jerusalem began to export to Cairo in 2020.

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Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen headed the Israeli delegation to the conference, which received little press coverage at the request of the Egyptians. Among those to take part in the delegation were representatives from Israel's Foreign Ministry, National Security Council, and Water Resources Ministry Director-General Yechezkel Lifshitz.

Cohen held a lengthy meeting with Egypt's Deputy Intelligence Minister Nasser Fahmi to discuss future plans for their economies and security issues. According to Fahmi, "Egypt is interested in promoting cooperation with Israel in all fields. We will continue to act to bolster economic and bilateral ties in the future."

Fahmi spoke to Cohen about the security system in place around Sharm el-Sheikh, which includes a 43-kilometer-long fence that was completed in 2020.

"To date, tourists from all over Europe are coming there after security figures from those countries defined Sharm el-Sheikh as a safe place," Intelligence Ministry officials said.

In addition, the two spoke about the joint fight against radical Islamic terror, in particular in the Sinai Peninsula, as well as securing freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

According to Cohen, Sharm el-Sheikh is a safe and secure island inside the Sinai Peninsula, and the Egyptians are doing everything they can to bring Israeli tourists back. "I'm coming back to Israel to work with intelligence and security officials so that we can exclude Sharm el-Sheikh from the existing alerts on the Sinai and return once again to Sharm el-Sheikh."

The meeting was made possible as a result of ongoing covert talks between Cairo and Jerusalem. According to Cohen, the meeting and the processes that follow will bring bilateral trade back to previous highs of over $1 billion annually.

Delegation members also met with the heads of Egyptian companies with the aim of opening up Egypt's market to cooperation with Israel in the fields of agriculture, desalination, power stations, textile, construction materials, food, fish ponds, and tourism.

Up until 2020, economic cooperation between Israel and Egypt focused mainly on textiles, construction, and agriculture. In 2018, income generated from cooperation reached around $1.3 billion, although it has since decreased.

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