Egypt Invites Israel, Hamas, PA for Long-Term Ceasefire Talks
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by i24 News
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed/File Photo.
i24 News – Egypt has invited Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to Cairo for a summit to discuss a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported on Wednesday.
The invitation comes a week after the establishment of the ceasefire that ended the clashes between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, which lasted for 11 days and claimed many lives.
The objective of the summit would be to work out an agreement on the reconstruction of Gaza as well as a long-term ceasefire agreement. Discussions would also revolve around the return of Israeli civilians held captive in Gaza, as well as the remains of two IDF soldiers, Kan added.
Lt. Hadar Goldin and St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul were killed in the 2014 summer war with Hamas, while civilian Avera Mengistu was captured after entering Gaza on his own that same year. Mengistu is said to be suffering from mental health issues. Hisham al-Sayed, a second civilian, entered Gaza in 2015 and has been detained there since.
According to Kan, an Egyptian military official visited Israel last week to discuss the initiative, but no date for the summit has yet been set.
The Israeli media also reported that Jerusalem has set two conditions for possible participation: that the talks with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority take place separately, and that each stage of the reconstruction process in Gaza is linked to the progress of the return of the captives.
This invitation comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Wednesday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country played a central role in silencing the guns after eleven days of violence.
