Israel FM arrives in Egypt for ‘permanent ceasefire’ talks in Gaza | Gaza News

During Israel’s first visit to Egypt in 13 years, talks have rebuilt a Palestinian enclave destroyed after an 11-day bombing.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi arrived in Cairo on Sunday with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, a group governing the besieged Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, to establish a “permanent ceasefire”.

Ashkenazi tweeted in Arabic, English and Hebrew that the trip to Cairo is “the first formal visit by an Israeli FM in 13 years.”

According to his tweet, the visit responds to an invitation from Egypt’s Shoukry.

“We will discuss with Hamas the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, the mechanism for providing humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza, which has played a key role in the international community,” he added.

He also stated that his government is “fully committed” to bringing home Israeli prisoners held by Hamas.

Thank you, FM #Sameh_Shoukry, by invitation to visit #Egypt, The first formal visit of a 13-year-old Israeli FM.

During the visit, we will explore regional issues and ways and means to strengthen our bilateral relations. pic.twitter.com/j6pcv4gs9T

– Gabi Ashkenazi – Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) May 30, 2021

Egypt played a key role in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this month, ending 11 days of bombing.

Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza, which has had a crippled siege since 2007, has killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children.

The attacks destroyed 1,800 housing units and partially destroyed at least another 14,300, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee to schools run by the United Nations.

The bombing also hit about 74 public buildings, including local municipalities, according to data released by the Gaza Ministry of Information.

Egyptian security officials confirmed to AFP on Sunday that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh would also be in Cairo for talks, but would not provide further details.

At the same time, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel is expected to lead a high-level security delegation to the occupied territories of Israel and Palestine, officials added.

“President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi ordered the head of general information to discuss it with the Israeli prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and the authorities were concerned about the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and the latest developments on the Palestinian front, ”they said.

When El-Sisi regained his country’s regional weight, Kamel also promised to end political divisions between Hamas opponents in Gaza and Fatah in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians are politically divided between Hamas and rival Fatah, but analysts say the latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has served to unite the geographically divided Palestinian community in a way that has not been seen in years.

The escalation came as a result of tensions in East Jerusalem over the expulsion of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah by Israel and attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Gaza rockets and other fires killed 12 people in Israel, including two children.

El-Sisi has pledged $ 500 million to help rebuild a densely populated and destroyed enclave.

In Egypt, Israel has contributed to the ongoing siege of Gaza, and has largely kept the Rafah border crossing closed for security reasons.

The siege of Gaza has also halted the flow of building materials needed to rebuild much of the enclave’s infrastructure, which was damaged in Israel’s previous military campaigns in 2008, 2012 and 2014.

These hard-to-obtain materials need to be cleaned by layers of bureaucracy.