Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has negotiated with the Hamas terror organization responsible for the recent upsurge in attacks against Israelis along the Gaza border, agreeing to a ceasefire in which Hamas promises not to attack the Jewish state, and Israel enables the creation of a naval route between Gaza and Cyprus.
According to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news channel in Lebanon, Israel will patrol the waterway, while Qatar and Egypt pay the salaries of Gaza workers whose monthly compensation was slashed by the Palestinian Authority, also chipping in for Gaza’s large electricity bill.
According to Al-Hayat newspaper, Egyptian intelligence director Abbas Kamel held a secret meeting with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to finalize the details of a long-term ceasefire.
Reports circulated on Monday that Netanyahu met secretly with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Egypt on May 22, with Netanyahu arriving in Cairo for a Ramadan Iftar dinner accompanied by only security personnel and a few advisers.
Issues up for discussion include an exchange of Israeli civilian hostages and the remains of fallen Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers in exchange for the completion of several public-works projects.
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two men who are suspected of suffering from mental illness and entered Gaza on their own in 2014 and 2015, respectively, are currently prisoners of Hamas. The remains of two IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, have been held in captivity by Hamas since the Gaza War in 2014.
