The Egyptian delegation is heading to Gaza today, Monday, entering through the Beit Hanoun border crossing, following discussions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah yesterday. A Palestinian source told "Al Arabiya" on Sunday that Egyptian intelligence requested the presence of a Palestinian Authority representative during the visit to Gaza. Additionally, sources from "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" confirmed that Cairo's message to Gaza factions is that it will not allow any Iranian involvement to escalate the situation.
Yesterday, Egyptian intelligence director Abbas Kamel and his accompanying delegation met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah as part of Egypt's efforts to solidify the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. Sources from "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" indicated that the Egyptian intelligence chief requested a halt to settlement activities and a suspension of evictions from Israel, and proposed a ceasefire project with international monitoring. Meanwhile, Israel provided the Egyptian official with evidence of Iranian involvement in the battles in Gaza.
The sources indicated that expectations point toward a resolution on the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas within weeks, amid Egyptian pressure on Israel to agree to the proposed list of prisoners to be released, with the exchange to be executed in several phases. The sources added that Egypt does not want to tie the prisoner exchange to the reconstruction of Gaza, expressing reservations about establishing an independent body for Gaza reconstruction.
Moreover, sources from "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" reported that an Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo in a few days to discuss Palestinian demands, along with a meeting of Palestinian factions in the Egyptian capital next week. For its part, Hamas has confirmed that the prisoner exchange issue is unrelated to the reconstruction of Gaza, with Palestinian media quoting Hamas officials stating that Israel must pay a price demanded by Hamas for the release of its soldiers. Hamas is holding four Israeli prisoners and has not disclosed their health status or fate since their capture.
