Gabi Ashkenazi
Gabi AshkenaziFlash 90

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi is expected to meet with his Egyptian counterpart next week in Cairo and discuss a long-term ceasefire with Hamas, Haaretz reported on Thursday.

Ashkenazi and Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry already spoke on the phone during Israel's latest operation in Gaza and agreed to meet as soon as possible, the report noted.

A political source told Haaretz that the talks aim to bring about a summit meeting in Cairo with the attendance of representatives from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and possibly the United States.

Israel sees Egypt as a dominant actor that can put pressure on Hamas and persuade it to agree to Israel's conditions to reconstructing Gaza, as well as resolving the issue of Israeli civilians and bodies of Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

Political sources said Israel will allow the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza, but will condition non-urgent assistance like building materials to reconstruct the Strip on resolving the issue of those held captive in Gaza.

Egypt mediated the ceasefire agreement that ended the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Last Thursday night, after the ceasefire went into effect, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi thanked US President Joe Biden for his role in making the Egyptian initiative succeed.

Sisi said he and Biden both saw the urgency of managing the conflict between all parties with diplomacy.

Earlier this week, Biden and Sisi spoke for a second time, and Biden “thanked Egypt for its successful diplomacy and coordination with the United States to end the recent hostilities in Israel and Gaza and ensure violence does not reoccur,” the White House said.

According to Haaretz, additional Israel delegations are expected to travel to Egypt to advance a long-term agreement, including the National Security Council and Defense Ministry representatives will join the delegations.

Ashkenazi and Shoukry are expected to discuss possible ways to deliver funds and building materials while preventing Hamas from using them to reconstruct its attack tunnels and manufacture weapons.