On the morning of October 14, US media reported that the Israeli intelligence chief made a secret trip to Cairo on October 13 to meet with the Egyptian intelligence chief. The discussions focused on resuming negotiations for a ceasefire and a potential hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
According to Axios, Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, secretly traveled to Cairo on October 13 for talks with Abbas Kamel, director of Egypt’s National Intelligence Agency, aimed at resuming ceasefire negotiations. A key topic of their discussion was the Rafah border crossing, which has been under Israeli control since May following a ground operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in southern Gaza. However, no breakthroughs were achieved during the meeting.
Egyptian and Israeli officials have not commented on this development.Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, have been stalled for weeks as the Israeli military has shifted its focus to the northern front in Lebanon. Many regional analysts are concerned that the Gaza front, along with efforts to halt the fighting there, is being overlooked amid heightened tensions in Lebanon and the escalating military confrontation between Israel and Iran.
