Senior Israeli military officials met their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo this week for what Israeli media described as a “strategic dialogue” focused on regional developments, Gaza and broader security cooperation.
According to Kan News, the talks focused on coordination between the two countries despite tensions over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, with Egypt expected to play a key role in mediation with Hamas and efforts to shape the enclave’s postwar future.
Israeli and Egyptian officers reportedly watched Egypt’s World Cup match against Argentina together during the visit.
Israel and Egypt have maintained diplomatic relations since signing a peace treaty in 1979, with security and military cooperation at the centre of the relationship.
Tensions have risen, however, over Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which Egypt has long feared could destabilise the situation on its northeastern border.
Kan News reported that the latest meeting was aimed at strengthening Egypt’s role as a mediator in Gaza, with Israeli officials viewing Cairo as taking a more “hawkish” approach toward Hamas.
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The report said Egyptian officials have recently offered to try to persuade Hamas to hand over its weapons under a form of custodial arrangement as part of broader negotiations.
The talks came as Hamas announced the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades.
“The head of the government’s emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas’s government media office, told AFP.
“He has also decided to dissolve the committee to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG),” he added.
The NCAG is a body of Palestinian technocrats from Gaza intended to oversee the enclave’s day-to-day affairs under a framework established as part of a peace agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt last September.
The committee, however, has been unable to enter Gaza and remains based in Cairo.
The developments come despite continued Israeli attacks in Gaza following the ceasefire announced in October.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 1,092 Palestinians in the enclave since the ceasefire took effect.
The ministry says more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
