Head of Israel's Shin Bet visited Cairo to discuss cease-fire talks

Egyptian officials said the head of Israel’s internal security agency has visited Cairo to discuss reviving Gaza cease-fire talks after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Israel and Hamas, as well as Egypt, which has served as a key mediator, appear to still be divided over whether Israel would retain control over parts of Gaza, a dispute that dragged the talks to a halt in August.

An Egyptian official said Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, held an hours-long meeting Sunday with Egypt’s newly appointed intelligence chief, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad.

There was no official confirmation from Israel, but the visit was widely reported by Israeli media.

The Egyptian official, who was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said they discussed the possibility of reviving the negotiations after the death of Sinwar, who was killed in an Israeli military operation last week.

The official said Egypt is still opposed to any Israeli presence in a strip of land running the length of the Gaza side of the territory’s border with Egypt, and that Hamas is unlikely to lift its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Hamas has said its demands for a lasting cease-fire, Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners in return for dozens of hostages held in Gaza for over a year have not changed following Sinwar’s death.

Bar also visited Egypt last Tuesday, before Sinwar’s death.