Hamas chief Yehya al-Sinwar hugs head of the Egyptian general intelligence Abbas Kamel as they meet in Gaza
As the first Israeli missile landed on the besieged Gaza Strip, marking the start of an 11-day military offensive, Egypt saw a “tremendous opportunity” to assert itself politically in the region and, as many analysts say, to prove itself to the new US administration.
US President Joe Biden thanked Egypt for “its successful diplomacy” in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the group that governs Gaza.
“The Egyptian regime wishes to illustrate to the Biden administration that they can still handle the ‘Palestinian file’, and that they are willing to follow the US guidance in this regard,” Alaa Tartir, policy adviser at Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, told Al Jazeera.
Washington’s reliance on Egypt comes as it is one of the few countries in the region that engages with both Israel and Hamas.
Egyptian diplomats were engaged in a flurry of diplomatic visits that eventually helped secure a ceasefire after the Israeli bombardment campaign killed 253 Palestinians, bolstering its regional role. The Gulf state of Qatar also played a role in the ceasefire.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received his Israeli counterpart in Cairo on Sunday to build on a more “permanent ceasefire”. Later, the country’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Israel and then travelled to Gaza to meet Hamas leaders – the first visit since 2017.
Egypt’s efforts came as a surprise to some, considering that the country – which allies itself with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – has spent much of the last eight years seeking closer ties with Israel.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty following the 1967 war, and share the same contempt for Hamas, whom Cairo accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood proxy. Cairo considers the Palestinian group as a threat to Egypt’s security and stability.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power after overthrowing Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in a military coup in 2013.
Comments