Abbas Kamel and PM Naftali Bennett
Abbas Kamel and PM Naftali BennettKobi Gideon, GPO

Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel is expected to visit Israel later this month, to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and, likely, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, journalist Barak Ravid reported.

Kamel is considered to be Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's right-hand man.

In an article on Axios, Ravid wrote that he met Kamel - who rarely speaks publicly - as the two stepped out of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, each for the purpose of his own cigarette break.

"My colleague Nadav Eyal and I introduced ourselves right away as Israeli reporters, but Kamel was still willing to engage," Ravid noted.

Egypt "is trying to reach a deal to stabilize the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, allow humanitarian relief and reconstruction, and include a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas," Kamel told Ravid.

Kamel also expressed satisfaction with the current Egypt-Israel relationship but said that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is a "big change" from his predecessor, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While al-Sisi had a close relationship with Netanyahu, his meeting with Bennett in September was also "exceptionally good," and Egypt hopes to work effectively with Bennett's government, Kamel told Ravid.

Egypt is also in close contact with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, speaking "every day" and working "day and night" to broker a long-term ceasefire with the Hamas terror group, which governs Gaza. The deal would include a prisoner swap, which Kamel believes should begin with the release of elderly PA prisoners, women, and teenagers. It would release two mentally unwell Israelis being held by Hamas, and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers which Hamas has held since 2014.

Kamel added the Gaza deal would also include humanitarian and economic steps for the benefit of Gaza's civilian population.

He also said that Egypt would like to see Israel and the PA in a political dialogue.

"We can start in lower-level talks and move slowly up, but we need to start," Kamel told Ravid.

Kamel added that he expects to visit Israel later this month, to meet with Bennett and other senior officials, and that he is likely to visit PA Chief Abbas in Ramallah as well.

Kamel visited Israel in August, meeting with Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White). He was the first Egyptian official to meet Bennett since the new government was formed.