Cairo: Egypt’s Intelligence Chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad has met with Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh in Cairo to discuss efforts to end the crisis in the Gaza Strip and stabilise the ongoing ceasefire in the enclave, media reported.
During the meeting, attended by Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majed Faraj, both sides agreed to “support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement and reaffirm rejection of the Israeli Knesset’s decision to annex any Palestinian land,” Egypt’s Al-Qahera News TV report said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cairo is hosting talks among Palestinian factions aimed at reaching consensus “within the framework of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan,” the report added.
It said that Egypt is intensifying its communications with the US “to stabilise the ceasefire in Gaza and achieve a just and lasting peace in the region”.
Rashad met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Tuesday, where they discussed advancing Trump’s plan, as well as ties between the two countries, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The long-awaited ceasefire, which took effect on October 10 after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, was mediated by the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, Xinhua news agency reported.
Recently, Israel has seen increased US diplomatic activity, with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, followed by Vice-President J.D. Vance, having visited to discuss the next ceasefire stage.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel later Thursday for the same purpose.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed 68,280 Palestinians and injured 170,375 others, Gaza’s health authorities said in an update on Thursday.
Despite the ceasefire, at least 89 people have been killed and 317 others wounded in Gaza since October 11, the authorities added.
The meetings come as part of Cairo’s sustained push to end the ongoing crisis in Gaza and support the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, while reiterating its rejection of any unilateral Israeli measures, particularly the Israeli Knesset’s recent decision to annex occupied Palestinian lands.
Egypt is preparing to host an international conference on Gaza reconstruction in the second half of November, aimed at supporting stability in the strip and advancing the peace process.
(IANS)
