The Sudanese government spokesman, Faisal Muhammad Salih Quahl, confirmed that the cabinet was not aware of the visit of an Israeli delegation to Khartoum, while informed sources confirmed that the delegation visited the country in an arrangement with the Sovereignty Council.

The Sudanese Tribune website quoted the spokesman as saying that there was no coordination with the government by any party in the country regarding the visit, and that the government was not aware of the composition of the delegation, nor the party that invited and received it.

On the other hand, the website quoted identical sources as saying that the delegation arrived under the coordination of military leaders in the Sovereignty Council, while the Al-Jazeera correspondent confirmed that an Israeli delegation led by the head of the Middle East and Africa Division of the Israeli National Security Council headed to Khartoum on an official visit with the aim of pushing the wheel of normalization forward And as a prelude to signing a formal agreement between the two parties.

The Yedioth Ahronoth website said that the delegation will hold meetings with Sudanese officials in preparation for a visit by a wider Israeli delegation, which will head in the coming weeks to Khartoum to discuss a set of joint agreements in the fields of economy, agriculture and irrigation.

The Israeli Army Radio said yesterday that Israel sent its first delegation to Sudan today, Monday, after the two countries agreed on October 23 to take steps towards establishing normal relations.

Sources involved in planning told Reuters that the visit was scheduled to take place last week.

However, it was delayed for logistical reasons, while Israeli officials could not be reached for comment.

Israeli media said that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, contrary to the position of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prevented the participation of senior officers and officials in the army in the Israeli delegation, which went to Khartoum yesterday.

Gantz was quoted as saying that it is not appropriate for officers in the Israeli army to participate in a delegation heading to a country that has not yet been formally removed from the list of states supporting terrorism.

This may embarrass them, and put them in a dangerous situation in the event of an emergency.

Sudan followed the example of the UAE and Bahrain, and agreed to establish official relations with Israel, becoming the third Arab country to communicate with Israel, with encouragement from Washington, during the past few months.

But military and civilian leaders in the Sudanese transitional government differ on how quickly and how to proceed with normalization of relations with Israel.

The executive government headed by Abdullah Hamdok asserts that normalization or rapprochement with Israel should be left to an elected government, and that the current transitional government does not have a mandate to take such a decision.

But the head of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan - who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Entebbe, Ugandan last February - confirmed that normalization with Israel is a matter of the best interest of Sudan.

On October 23, Sudan announced the normalization of its relationship with Israel.

To be the fifth Arab country to agree to normalize relations, after Egypt in 1079, Jordan in 1994, and the UAE and Bahrain in 2020.

Several Sudanese political forces declared their categorical rejection of normalization with Israel, including the parties participating in the ruling coalition.