Islamic Jihad delegation in Cairo over situation in besieged Gaza

A delegation of Islamic Jihad members arrived in Cairo on Friday evening, led by the movement’s Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah and his deputy Ziad al-Nakhala.

A spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad movement Dawood Shihab said in a statement that Egyptian officials had invited the movement to Cairo to discuss the ever-worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip and the Palestinian cause more generally.

The visit came just a few days after a delegation of Hamas members concluded their visit to Cairo, where they had discussed progress in agreeing to a prisoners exchange deal with Israel and enhanced previously agreed upon Hamas-Egypt security coordination developments.

Hamas and Egypt had also previously discussed agreements and policies that would lessen the impact of the decade-long Israeli siege on Gaza, including opening the Rafah crossing more frequently and potential Egyptian assistance with Gaza’s crippling healthcare crisis.