JERUSALEM — On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, head of Egypt’s intelligence service, landed in Jerusalem and held high‐level talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
The meeting comes amid renewed efforts to implement Donald Trump’s Gaza cease-fire framework and to stabilise the region after months of violent conflict.
During the meeting, Netanyahu’s office said the two officials discussed “advancing President Trump’s plan, bilateral Israel-Egypt relations, and strengthening peace between the countries.”
Rashad also held separate discussions with David Zini, head of Israel’s internal security agency (Shin Bet), and is scheduled to meet Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East.
What’s on the table
The Trump‐led framework is built on a multi-stage process for Gaza: first halting large-scale fighting, then moving to humanitarian relief, security guarantees, and eventually reconstruction.
In the Jerusalem meetings:
- Aid flows into the Gaza Strip were central. Rashad emphasised Egypt’s role in facilitating deliveries and addressed obstacles at crossings.
- Israel pressed for security guarantees and clearer terms on the next phase—especially around the disarmament of Hamas and its future role.
- Egypt aimed to reaffirm its position as a mediator and to strengthen long-standing peace with Israel, partly to ensure stability on its own border.
Why it matters
This is the first time a senior Egyptian intelligence official has visited Israel since major hostilities escalated between Israel and Hamas in 2023.
Egypt occupies a uniquely influential role: it borders Gaza, hosts key talks with Hamas, and has often brokered between Israel and Palestinian factions.
For Israel, consolidating the cease-fire and moving into the next phase of the plan is critical: unresolved issues—like hostages, return of bodies, border status and the role of Hamas—threaten the truce’s durability.
For Egypt, participating ensures its voice is heard in any post-war architecture in Gaza, and it helps preserve peace on its western frontier.
The challenges ahead
Despite the cease-fire that began on October 10, violence and skirmishes continue. Each side accuses the other of violations.
Some of the hard questions remain open:
- Will Hamas relinquish its military capacity or role in Gaza? Israel insists on this.
- How will governance in Gaza be structured? Will the Palestinian Authority return, or will a technocratic body oversee the transition?
- How quickly will reconstruction, aid and border openings happen? Delays risk collapse of the fragile truce.
Looking ahead
The next stage of the plan seems to demand: a notable reduction of military operations, the establishment of an interim governing mechanism for Gaza, deeper humanitarian access, and a framework for rebuilding.
Rashad’s visits—to Israel and also talks scheduled with U.S. envoys—signal that Cairo wants to be central to that phase.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has to manoeuvre between domestic pressure for security and international pressure to ease on Gaza.
If any of the major actors withdraw or delays mount, the entire process could unravel. Rashad’s mission: keep things moving.
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