Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad arrived in Israel on Tuesday, 21 October, to hold talks aimed at cementing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid, and addressing obstacles to implementing the US-brokered peace proposal, Al-Qahera News TV reported.
Rashad is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with US envoy to the Middle East Steve Weitzman, who is also in Israel.
The discussions come amid renewed Israeli airstrikes east of Gaza’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, despite the declared truce. Reports also pointed to artillery shelling in central Gaza and explosions heard in eastern Khan Younis on Sunday,19 October.
Meanwhile, medical sources said three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in the Al-Shaaf area of Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood on Monday, 20 October, in what they described as “a clear breach of the ceasefire.”
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Weitzman and senior adviser Jared Kushner warned Netanyahu against endangering the ceasefire agreement, stressing that “Israel can only defend itself without threatening the agreement.”
The ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, is based on a phased plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, reconstruction efforts in Gaza, and the formation of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 60,000 people have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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