Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi will head to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Sunday, amid a political movement to install a ceasefire in Gaza and to make arrangements for the reconstruction plan.
Ashkenazi's visit to Egypt - during which he will meet his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry - is the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to Cairo since 2008.
The visit coincides with a tour of the head of the Egyptian intelligence service, Abbas Kamel, which includes Ramallah, Gaza and Tel Aviv, and Israeli sources said that he would hold talks on stabilizing the ceasefire.
Today, Saturday, an Egyptian security delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip via the "Beit Hanoun-Erez" crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, on its fourth visit to the Strip, to arrange for Abbas Kamel's visit expected next Monday or Tuesday, according to the final arrangements.
Exchange deal
For its part, Israel Radio said that the discussions of all parties through the Egyptian mediator will discuss, in addition to fixing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the Gaza reconstruction plan, a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.
In Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh discussed today with Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde the need to fill the political vacuum through a serious political path within a multi-international framework that ends the occupation and guarantees the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) stated that the Prime Minister briefed the Swedish Minister, during a virtual meeting today, Saturday, on the efforts made to rebuild the Gaza Strip and provide the necessary financial support, stressing the need for the process to be continuous and through one address, the National Authority, and there is a national team to restore Reconstruction is able to continue working.
US support
Meanwhile, a statement by the US Department of Defense stated that Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed, in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Benny Gantz, the US administration’s support for building on a ceasefire to establish permanent security, and the statement said that Austin reiterated the US support for Israel's security.
On the other hand, the Israeli Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, will visit the United States next month, where he will discuss with American officials what Israel describes as the common challenges of the Iranian threat, the Tehran nuclear project, Hezbollah, the repercussions of the war on Gaza, and the threat of precision missiles.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken toured the region last Wednesday and Thursday, which included Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan, during which he sought to install a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions, and to mobilize the international community to advance relief efforts in Gaza.
Blinken stressed during the visit to avoid various actions that could intentionally or unintentionally lead to another round of violence, indicating that during his visit to the region - directly from the Israelis, and indirectly from Hamas - the two sides wanted to preserve the ceasefire.