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Israeli delegation visits Cairo as ceasefire efforts continue

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A three-person Israeli delegation is widely reported to have visited the Egyptian capital Cairo yesterday to help advance progress towards ceasefire talks.

Egypt is considered perhaps the most significant potential broker in forging a truce between Israel and Hamas. Two weeks ago, Hamas rejected an Egyptian ceasefire initiative, which was backed by Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Arab League and much of the international community.

Haaretz reports that the Israeli delegation comprised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisor Isaac Molho, Shin Bet security service head Yoram Cohen and the head of the Defense Ministry’s political-defence desk, Amos Gilad. The delegation reportedly spent several hours with Egyptian intelligence officials before returning to Israel. According to reports, a Palestinian delegation including representatives of the PA and Hamas were also expected to travel to Cairo later this week, but Egypt insists Hamas must first stop firing, a demand it has so far refused.

As a result, Israel Radio news reports that the Palestine Liberation Organisation is attempting to broker a temporary ceasefire of several days in Gaza, in order to facilitate subsequent talks in Cairo. Meanwhile, Palestinian reports say that senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat left for Doha yesterday to meet with Qatar’s foreign minister and Hamas’s political chief Khaled Mashaal.

Meanwhile, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said yesterday that US Secretary of State John Kerry had spoken three times with Qatar’s foreign minister during the past 24 hours, urging him to press Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. Harf commented, “The Israelis support our efforts to achieve a ceasefire as well as the way we are working to do this.”

Multiple media reports say that Israel yesterday indicated it would continue to institute temporary humanitarian ceasefires in the Gaza Strip, in order to ease conditions for the civilian population. Israel called for a four-hour truce yesterday afternoon, although Hamas rejected the pause in the fighting.