Egypt to broker Hamas-Israel truce talks amid rising tension over border security

A high-level Israeli delegation and another from the Palestinian Hamas faction are due to meet in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Wednesday for an undeclared round of talks over a possible ceasefire and prisoner exchange as Israel's ongoing onslaught on the Gaza Strip has entered its fourth month.

The two warring sides are expected to discuss amendments to a ceasefire proposal presented in Paris earlier last month that were suggested by the Palestinian armed faction. 

"Israel's delegation will involve representatives of Israel's intelligence (Mossad), the Israeli Security Agency (Shabak) and the Israeli Defence Ministry (IDF), while the Palestinian one will involve leaders from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad," an Egyptian high-level security source told The New Arab.

"Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and several senior intelligence officers will join the negotiations brokered by Egypt," added the source, who asked to remain anonymous for not being authorised to talk to the media.


Israel's war on Gaza has so far killed 28,473 Palestinians since it broke out on 7 October, with a further 68,146 wounded, according to official figures.

"The Egyptian government has been keen on expediting a long-term ceasefire deal and the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners at Israeli prisoners," the source explained.

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns has already been in Egypt as part of an earlier round of discussions, seeking similar solutions.

Wednesday's meeting is coinciding with increased Israeli strikes on Gaza's southern city of Rafah, prompting concerns over the possible political and security repercussions of a major Israeli offensive in the city bordering Egypt.

Cairo has also been concerned over a massive displacement of Palestinians in Gaza into the Egyptian side of Rafah city in North Sinai province.

Over the past few months, the Egyptian authorities had reportedly increased the height of the concrete border wall with Gaza and installed barbed wire in a bid to deter any Palestinians from attempting to cross into Sinai.

The present Egypt-Israel tension is believed to have further escalated on Monday as the Egyptian foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, condemned remarks made by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, claiming that Egypt had been involved with Hamas.

The Israeli minister claimed earlier on the same day that Egypt had borne considerable responsibility for Hamas' attacks on Israel, alleging that the Palestinian faction's armaments pass through Egypt.

Shoukry, however, reiterated his country's commitment to the peace treaty signed with Israel in 1979. Egypt was the first Arab state to normalise ties with Israel despite widespread opposition from the Egyptian public.

In recent days, a large number of Egyptian troops, mostly special forces and commandos, have reportedly been deployed in Egypt's Rafah city, as unconfirmed reports had earlier indicated that some 40 tanks had been positioned in and around the border area.