Latest news with #HassanRashad
Egypt Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt's General Intelligence head, Libyan House Speaker emphasize depth of relations between two countries
CAIRO – 22 May 2025: Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Major General Hassan Rashad, met with Counselor Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, on Thursday. During the meeting, Head of the General Intelligence Service affirmed Egypt's support for a Libyan-Libyan consensual solution and the reduction of foreign interference, in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of the Libyan people. For his part, Counselor Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, emphasized the depth of Egyptian-Libyan relations and the historical ties between the two brotherly countries. He emphasized Egypt's role in resolving the Libyan crisis and its commitment to achieving stability and converging views between the Libyan parties. Saleh expressed the Libyan people's aspirations to advance the political process, contributing to the stability of the situation in Libya. The Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives praised Egypt's achievements in the field of infrastructure and numerous mega-projects, emphasizing the need for cooperation between the two countries in development sectors.
The National
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Gaza truce talks falter after Israeli negotiators insist Hamas surrenders weapons first
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Israeli negotiators are insisting that Hamas must surrender its weapons before it agrees to a proposed five-year Gaza truce presented by Egyptian and Qatari negotiators, sources briefed on the talks told The National on Tuesday. They said Israel's negotiators were also determined that it must retain the right to take military action whenever a threat to its security is identified inside Gaza. Hamas has agreed to lay down, but not surrender, its weapons, as well as its exclusion from the administration of postwar Gaza and the reconstruction of the enclave of 2.3 million people. The militant group has also agreed in principle that some of its senior officials will leave Gaza to live in exile as long as Israel guarantees they will not be pursued. 'Israel is not only insisting on Hamas giving up its weapons but also wants to destroy the entire military capabilities of Hamas, including the tunnels,' said one source, who pointed out that modest progress has been made during the talks in Cairo. Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who led his country's delegation in the talks, returned home on Tuesday. 'The talks are continuing. They are complex and making very slow progress, but they did not collapse,' the source added. The talks are the latest bid by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US to broker a truce in Gaza after one reached in January ended on March 1. Gaza remained relatively calm until March 18, when Israel resumed military operations there. The mediators have been trying to persuade Hamas and Israel to agree to a new truce as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza mounts, reaching 52,365 on Tuesday, according to Palestinian authorities. Israel has also prevented humanitarian supplies from reaching Gaza, leading to acute food shortages. The sources said Israel also demanded during the latest talks that Hamas shares information about the 59 hostages it is believed to still be holding in Gaza. Broadly, the Egyptian and Qatari mediators have presented Israel and Hamas with a plan that entails a 45-day truce during which Hamas would release all hostages in return for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. It also provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas laying down its arms. The 45-day truce would take effect as part of a five-year ceasefire, during which Hamas would take steps to transform itself into a political party, reconstruction would begin and a new law-and-order security force trained by Egypt and Jordan would begin work in Gaza. Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad held talks with Mr Dermer on Monday night before experts from Israel and Egypt met to examine and finalise details of the proposed deal. They said Turkey, which has close relations with Hamas and Qatar, has been indirectly involved in the search for an end to the Gaza war, with officials from its intelligence agency negotiating with Algeria on terms and conditions for Hamas officials to live there in exile. The Turkish officials are also in contact with Iran, Hamas's main foreign backer, they added. The Gaza war was sparked by an October 2023 attack on communities in southern Israel by Hamas and allied groups. They killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a military operation that has laid to waste vast built-up areas in the tiny territory on the coast of the east Mediterranean. Besides the Palestinian deaths, the Israeli operations have wounded more than 100,000 Palestinians, according to authorities in Gaza. Egypt, which borders both Gaza and Israel, has played an increasingly active role in the negotiations since the Israeli military captured a narrow strip on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border along with the Rafah crossing in May last year. Egypt says Israel's action is a breach of their 1979 peace treaty and subsequent accords regulating the border area. Israel insists that it needs to keep its military in the area to stop what it says is the smuggling of weapons and dual-use material for Hamas through underground tunnels linking Gaza with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Egypt maintains it destroyed the tunnels nearly a decade ago.
The National
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Gaza truce talks stumble after Israeli negotiators insist Hamas surrenders weapons first
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Israeli negotiators are insisting that Hamas must surrender its weapons before it agrees to a proposed five-year Gaza truce presented by Egyptian and Qatari negotiators, sources briefed on the talks told The National on Tuesday. They said Israel's negotiators were also adamant that it must retain the right to take military action whenever a threat to its security is identified inside Gaza. Hamas has already agreed to lay down, but not surrender, its weapons, as well as its exclusion from the administration of postwar Gaza and the reconstruction of the war-battered enclave of 2.3 million people. The militant group has also agreed in principle that some of its senior officials will leave Gaza to live in exile as long as Israel guarantees they will not be pursued. "Israel is not only insisting on Hamas giving up its weapons but also wants to destroy the entire military capabilities of Hamas, including the tunnels," said one source, who pointed out that modest progress has been made during the talks in Cairo. Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who led his country's delegation in the talks, returned home on Tuesday. "The talks are continuing. They are complex and making very slow progress, but they did not collapse," the source added. The talks are the latest bid by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US to broker a truce in Gaza after one reached in January ended on March 1. Gaza remained relatively calm until March 18, when Israel resumed military operations in the devastated enclave. The mediators have been trying to persuade Hamas and Israel to agree to a new truce as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza mounts, reaching 52,365 on Tuesday, according to Palestinian authorities in the enclave. Israel has also stopped humanitarian supplies from reaching Gaza, leading to acute food shortages. The sources said Israel also demanded during the latest talks that Hamas shares information about the living among the 59 hostages it is believed to still be holding in Gaza. Broadly, the Egyptian and Qatari mediators have presented Israel and Hamas with a plan that entails a 45-day truce during which Hamas would release all hostages in return for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. It also provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas laying down its arms. The 45-day truce would take effect as part of a five-year ceasefire, during which Hamas would take steps to transform itself into a political party, reconstruction would begin and a new law-and-order security force trained by Egypt and Jordan would be deployed in Gaza. Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad held talks with Mr Dermer on Monday night before experts from Israel and Egypt met to examine and finalise details of the proposed deal. They said Turkey, which has close relations with Hamas and Qatar, has been indirectly involved in the search for an end to the Gaza war, with officials from its intelligence agency negotiating with Algeria on terms and conditions for Hamas officials to live there in exile. The Turkish officials are also in contact with Iran, Hamas's main foreign backer, they added. The Gaza war was sparked by an October 2023 attack on communities in southern Israel by Hamas and allied groups. They killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a massive military operation that has laid to waste vast built-up areas in the tiny territory on the coast of the east Mediterranean. Beside the Palestinians killed, the Israeli operations have wounded more than 100,000 Palestinians, according to authorities in Gaza. Egypt, which borders both Gaza and Israel, has played an increasingly active role in the negotiations since the Israeli military captured a narrow strip on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border along with the Rafah crossing in May last year. Egypt says Israel's action is a breach of their 1979 peace treaty and subsequent accords regulating the border area. Israel insists that it needs to keep its military in the area to stop what it says is the smuggling of weapons and dual-use material for Hamas through underground tunnels linking Gaza with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Egypt maintains it destroyed the tunnels nearly a decade ago.
Shafaq News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israel foils Egypt drone weapons smuggling bid
Shafaq News/ The Israeli military stated, on Tuesday, it had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israel using a drone. According to Arab media, the army revealed that it detected a drone attempting to cross from Egyptian territory into Israel's Baran Brigade region. Israeli forces intercepted and downed the drone. Troops who arrived at the scene recovered the drone, which was carrying ten M16 rifles and ammunition, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, continues to mediate efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which has now entered its 18th month. Egyptian state broadcaster Al-Qahera News reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad is expected to meet an Israeli negotiating team in Cairo to discuss reviving a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The meeting with the Israeli delegation, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, follows recent talks between Egyptian officials and a Hamas delegation aimed at achieving a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Gaza, according to Al-Qahera News.
Al-Ahram Weekly
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo near significant breakthrough: Reuters - Foreign Affairs
'Negotiations held in Cairo to reach a ceasefire in Gaza were on the verge of a significant breakthrough," two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday. According to Reuters, the sources said there was a consensus on a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza, yet some sticking points remain, including Hamas arms. On Monday, Hassan Rashad, the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS), was set to meet in Cairo with an Israeli negotiation team, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, according to Al-Qahera News. The meeting follows a recent visit by a Hamas delegation to Egypt to discuss efforts toward a ceasefire and de-escalation in Gaza. Citing high-level security sources, the news channel said Egypt's intelligence chief had also participated earlier in the Doha discussions with Qatari, American, and Israeli officials aimed at maintaining the Gaza truce. The sources revealed that Rashad's visit to Qatar coincided with the presence of the heads of the Israeli Mossad and US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who were also in the country for related negotiations. These talks come as part of the ongoing intensive mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to restore the ceasefire deal in Gaza, which Israel unilaterally ended on 18 March. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
