Islamic Jihad leader, Egypt intelligence chief discuss Palestinian issues in Cairo

The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement and the head of Egypt’s intelligence service have discussed critical issues concerning Palestine during a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Daoud Shahab, a spokesman for the movement, said the meeting between Ziyad al-Nakhalah and Abbas Kamel took place on Saturday and that the two discussed such issues as the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli siege of Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in the occupying regime’s jails.

“The meeting focused on the developments in Palestine and the conflict with the Zionist regime,” Shahab said in an interview with Turkey's official Anadolu news agency.

“There was a positive atmosphere in the meeting, which shows the desire of the parties to achieve the goals and aspirations of the Palestinian people. During the meeting, the Egyptian intelligence chief reviewed his country’s efforts to rebuild Gaza, reduce the siege by Israel and facilitate traffic through the Rafah crossing.”

More than two million Palestinians live in Gaza, suffering from difficult living conditions as a result of the continuous Israeli blockade of the enclave since 2007.

Nakhalah also on Saturday praised Egypt's efforts to pursue the case of the Islamic Jihad prisoners' hunger strike in Israeli jails.

On October 22, prisoners of the Islamic Jihad movement in Israeli prisons suspended their hunger strike after nine days, which they had launched in protest at the "repressive measures" being taken against them following the escape of six inmates.

SS