5/15/2024–|Last updated: 5/15/202410:14 PM (Mecca time)
Israeli media revealed that an Israeli security delegation including senior officials from the Israeli Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) visited Egypt, today, Wednesday, to hold talks with senior Egyptian officials against the backdrop of the crisis between the two countries. Regarding the occupation army’s invasion of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli official broadcasting authority said that an Israeli security delegation visited Cairo this morning to hold discussions with senior Egyptian officials, adding that the visit “came in the wake of disagreements and crises between the two countries, and the deterioration of relations since the entry of Israeli army forces into the Rafah area.”
She stressed that the main issue raised in the talks is the deep crisis between Israel and Cairo since the beginning of the war, which has worsened since the entry of Israeli army forces into the outskirts of Rafah, and the threats heard from Egyptian officials to reduce the level of relations.
The broadcasting authority indicated that the Israeli delegation also discussed with the Egyptians the push for a prisoner exchange agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). She added that the Israelis’ goal is to provide Egypt with answers and try to find solutions to close the Rafah crossing, as well as convey a message that activity in Rafah will not be expanded without informing the Egyptians in advance.
For its part, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories, Ghassan Alian, headed the delegation whose visit came within the framework of an attempt to calm Egyptian anger in light of the Rafah operation.
The newspaper added that the delegation, which was also attended by Shin Bet representatives, “discussed the urgent need to open the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid, and after the talks the delegation returned to Israel.”
As for Haaretz newspaper, it reported that senior Israeli officials “fear Egypt’s withdrawal from the mediation between Israel and Hamas regarding a truce agreement in Gaza and the detainees, and they warned that military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries will be harmed if the crisis continues.”
Egyptian request
Earlier today, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on Israel to stop its military operations in Rafah. He stressed that the entry of Israeli forces into the Rafah crossing obstructed the arrival of humanitarian aid, which could no longer be brought in in light of the presence of military operations at the crossing.
Shukri stressed that Israeli statements regarding coordination with Egypt regarding military operations in Rafah are incorrect.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz claimed that “the key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is in the hands of the Egyptians,” indicating that he is communicating with his counterparts in the West to persuade Cairo to reopen the Rafah crossing.
On May 6, the Israeli army began a military operation in Rafah, took control of the Palestinian side of the city’s crossing, and closed it, ignoring regional and international warnings about the repercussions of this, in light of the presence of about 1.4 million displaced people in the city, who were allegedly pushed there by the Israeli army. It was safe, but later raids were launched on it, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The American Wall Street Journal reported last February that Egyptian officials warned of the possibility of suspending the decades-old peace treaty with Israel if Israeli forces entered Rafah, or any of the refugees in Rafah were pushed south to the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has left more than 114,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly, which led to Israel being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing Genocide.