UPDATED: Egypt sends intelligence chief to Israel, Palestinian territories to shore up Gaza ceasefire

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi dispatched on Sunday a high-level security delegation, led by head of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel, to Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss means to firm up a ceasefire with Palestinian factions.

The delegation will also tackle efforts of rebuilding the Gaza strip, and reaching a comprehensive de-escalation in the West Bank and the besieged enclave, Egypt’s state-run news agency MENA reported.

President El-Sisi entrusted the delegation to push for ending the Palestinian division, stressing the importance of taking all necessary measures to avoid any further escalation between Israel and Palestine.

El-Sisi also directed to push ahead with efforts to end the problem of prisoners and missing people between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the strip.

Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, which came into effect on 21 May, ending 11 days of Israeli aggression on the enclave.

The Israeli bombing campaign left more than 250 Palestinians dead, hundreds injured and homeless, while tens of residential and commercial buildings were demolished by Israeli air strikes.

Egypt has taken several political and diplomatic steps since then to consolidate the ceasefire, including sending security delegations to the warring sides.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is meeting his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, in Cairo on Sunday as part of the country’s effort to shore up the de-escalation efforts.