GAZA (Dispatches) – Egypt’s intelligence chief met leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Gaza on Monday in an effort to bolster a ceasefire between the Palestinian and the Zionist regime and to discuss reconstruction plans following the recent aggression by the occupying regime, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said.
The visit by Abbas Kamel was the first by an Egyptian intelligence chief to the enclave since the early 2000s.
“The discussion is focused on ways to cement the calm and Gaza reconstruction plans following the recent Israeli aggression,” said a Hamas official, who asked not to be named.
Hamas officials, led by Gaza chief Yehya Al-Sinwar, would urge Cairo to pressure the Zionist regime to stop “its assaults against our people in al-Quds and Sheikh Jarrah,” he said.
Eleven days assault by the Zionist regime and reprisal attacks by Hamas erupted on May 10 amid Palestinian anger at Israeli police raids around the al-Aqsa mosque compound in al-Quds and plans to evict Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah district of the city to make way for illegal settlers.
Gaza medical officials said 253 Palestinians were killed during the fighting.
Kamel was expected to announce plans by Cairo to build a housing city in the enclave, the official said.
Gaza’s housing ministry said 1,500 housing units were completely destroyed during the fighting, another 1,500 housing units had been damaged beyond repair, and 17,000 others suffered partial damage. A ministry official put the cost of rebuilding at $150 million.
On Sunday, Kamel met in al-Quds with Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu said his meeting dealt with regional issues.