The director of Israel's Shin Bet Security Service, Ronen Bar, has secretly visited Cairo and met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel.

Axar.az reports that according to the "Walla" news portal, during the contacts between the heads of the intelligence agencies, discussions included the deadlock in negotiations concerning hostages, among other issues. Bar discussed ways to continue hostage negotiations with his counterpart, particularly in light of his contacts with both Qatari and Egyptian mediators through Yahya Sinwar's representatives in Doha. The Shin Bet chief also addressed solutions to the crisis that emerged after the Rafah crossing was closed two months ago, which has cast a shadow over relations between Israel and Egypt, according to a source familiar with the content of the visit.