Israeli delegation will visit Cairo to negotiate prisoner swap

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Israeli media reported that an Israeli delegation would visit Cairo next week to negotiate a prisoner exchange deal between Palestine and the occupation.

Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, KAN, highlighted that Tel Aviv presented Hamas with a list of security prisoners that the occupation said it would release. The Israeli media also stated that an Israeli official paid a visit to an Arab country that asked to take part in pushing for the prisoner exchange with Hamas.

This comes after the Palestinian leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, announced Monday that "during the next few days there will be an invite to hold deep and serious Palestinian talks in Cairo," and with the aim of "the armed resistance meeting together, the legitimacy of state institutions, and peace work on the path of liberation and return."

Sinwar added that in the next few days, there will be serious talks in Cairo in order to unite the Palestinian position.

He indicated that "the prisoner exchange file witnessed some movement lately, but it stopped due to what the occupation is going through (not having a stable government)," and he streseed, "We are ready for immediate negotiations."

The deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, revealed Monday the details of the meeting that brought his movement’s leadership together with the representative of the Egyptian President and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, Abbas Kamel, in Gaza.

Al-Hayya explained, during a press conference that followed the meeting, that the two sides discussed files including obliging the occupation to stop its aggression against Gaza and Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), including the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and all places in Palestine, and to restrain the settlers.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi sent Monday a high-level security delegation to occupied Palestine, headed by the Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Abbas Kamel to discuss "stabilizing the truce and ending the Palestinian division," according to Egyptian media.

Simultaneously, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi arrived in Cairo Sunday, where he met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The high-ranking Egyptian delegation's visit was preceded by three visits - within a week - of Egyptian security delegations, with the aim of "establishing a truce and a ceasefire." They met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, and the Palestinian leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar.

No Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs has visited the Egyptian capital since 2008.