Report: Egypt will propose prisoner swap

Egyptian sources report that Abbas Kamel, Egypt’s head of intelligence, will visit Israel at the end of the month to present Prime Minister Bennett with Hamas’s proposed deal for a prisoner exchange. The deal will be presented without requiring Israel to approve it; Israel will need to green-light the deal only after Kamel’s presentation.

Another part of his trip will deal with challenges facing the Gaza strip. Egyptian sources claim that Egypt sees no obstacle to allowing further import of raw materials to Gaza’s factory, especially in light of newly installed electronic detection systems on Egypt’s border with Gaza, and add that there are ‘simple steps by which Israel can preserve a long-term peace.”

The Egyptian intelligence chief is also expected to talk to Israeli officials about the arming of Syria and the Houthis in Yemen with Iranian weapons, which also threatens Egypt strategically. Other issues expected to be covered include the coup in Sudan and Israel’s delegation to Khartoum and the growing threat of Iranian nuclear weapons.