On video: the battle team of a paratrooper patrol encountering terrorists and rescuing fighters under fire* 01.28.24/IDF spokesman
The head of the Shin Bet Ronen Bar visited Cairo last night (Monday) and met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, against the background of the tensions between Israel and Egypt surrounding the war in Gaza and the possibility of IDF action in Rafah near the Egyptian border - according to a report by the Walla correspondent, Barak Ravid, on the Axios website.
why is it important
Egypt is very concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis on the Palestinian side of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, where over a million Palestinians - most of whom are displaced - are concentrated.
The Egyptians are concerned that an IDF operation in Rafah, where the IDF has hardly operated until now, and especially in the Philadelphia Axis area - will create a huge influx of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai Peninsula.
The Egyptians have made it clear to Israel several times in recent weeks in public and in closed conversations that such a scenario is a violation of Egyptian national security, which will lead to a serious rift in relations between the countries.
Ronen Bar/Reuven Castro
Behind the Scenes
Two Israeli sources stated that Bar, who participated on Sunday together with the head of Egyptian intelligence in a summit in Paris on the subject of the abductees, flew to Cairo yesterday to discuss issues not related to the negotiations for their release, but to issues related to the situation in Gaza and relations between the countries.
One of the topics discussed by Bar in Egypt is the situation in the Philadelphia axis - on the Palestinian side of the border between Gaza and Egypt - and how the two countries can work in cooperation to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza that would allow Hamas to rearm.
Another topic discussed by the head of the Shin Bet with the head of Egyptian intelligence is the Egyptian ideas about "the day after" in the Gaza Strip. Tuesday, Walla published about the secret meeting in Riyadh during which the Egyptians discussed with the Palestinians, the Jordanians and the Saudis ways to return a "renewed Palestinian Authority" to Gaza.
what are they saying
The Shin Bet refused to comment on the matter. Egyptian officials did not respond to inquiries on the subject.
More on the same topic:
Ronan Bar
Egypt
Shin Bet
War of Iron Swords
Gaza war