Amos Gilad, the head of the diplomatic-security branch of the Defense Ministry, arrived in Cairo Thursday for a series of work meetings, according to Egyptian officials cited by Al-Jazeera television. The agenda for the meetings includes the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and an agreement for calm between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza area.

Gilad's visit coincides with the start of a three-day visit to Ramallah by an Egyptian delegation headed by General Muhammad Ibrahim, the deputy of intelligence chief Omar Suleiman who is in charge of Egyptian mediation efforts in the Shalit case. The delegation is expected to proceed to Gaza, where Shalit is believed to been held since the June 25, 2006 raid in which Hamas and its allies kidnapped him and killed two other Israeli soldiers.