Islamic Jihad leader reportedly in Cairo for ceasefire talks

The leader of Islamic Jihad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to meet with Egyptian officials over a possible ceasefire with Israel, Palestinian media reported Wednesday.

Ramadan Shalah came to the Egyptian capital with his second-in-command Ziad Nakhala for discussions on a long-term ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Ma’an news site reported, quoting an Islamic Jihad source.

Palestinian and Israeli officials have both denied reports over the last several months that they are discussing a long-term break in fighting in the wake of last summer’s devastating war in Gaza.

A ceasefire that ended the war a year ago was never formalized in a binding written agreement.

The two Islamic Jihad leaders are expected to discuss the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt and the kidnapping of four Hamas members two weeks ago from the Sinai Peninsula.

The Islamic Jihad terror group is thought to be heavily backed by Iran and is considered the second-most powerful organization in the Strip, behind Hamas.

The Egyptian-brokered truce came into effect on August 26, 2014, with both Israel and Hamas pledging to resume indirect contacts within a month on a long-term ceasefire, but talks were never resumed.

Earlier this month, the al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, said the group would take up arms if prisoner Muhammad Allaan died in an Israeli hospital. Allaan’s health was in jeopardy following an extended hunger strike, but he has since recovered.