Israel’s Lapid Discusses Iran, Gaza Reconstruction During Meeting With el-Sisi in Cairo

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met on Thursday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the nuclear threat from Iran and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Lapid, who presented the Egyptian president – whose country is serving as the mediator between Israel and Hamas in Gaza – with an economic recovery plan for Gaza, also brought up the issue of the two Israelis and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers that Hamas has been holding since 2014. The two leaders reportedly also discussed bilateral relations in areas of trade and agriculture, energy and economics. During the visit, Lapid also returned to his counterpart, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian archeological artifacts that were illegally smuggled from Egypt into Israel, that were discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Also on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz arrived in Washington, DC, where he is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for talks that are expected to center on Iran and the current round of negotiations aimed at resurrecting the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers.