Israel Security Agency chief Ronen Bar departed for Cairo on Monday along with an Israeli delegation to continue ceasefire talks with Hamas, Israeli media reported. Bar and his team are also expected to discuss future control of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Israeli forces took over the Gaza side of the crossing in early May, later securing the entire Philadelphi Corridor running along the Gaza-Sinai border. Jerusalem insists that Israeli security control is vital to block Hamas’s smuggling efforts.
According to Hebrew reports, Bar is also expected to discuss the construction of an underground barrier between Gaza and Egypt as part of efforts to prevent smuggling.
Army Radio reported on Monday that Cairo had sent a message to Jerusalem that it will work with the United States to assist in building the high-tech barrier if a ceasefire deal is reached. According to the report, Egypt said that work could start on the barrier during the first days of a ceasefire.
Bar is expected to fly to Doha on Wednesday to join the hostage negotiations there, holding “working meetings” with senior officials in the Qatari capital.
