Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met on Sunday evening with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri in Brussels. Lapid is on a visit with the European Union.
The meeting lasted approximately one hour, during which the two discussed “various security and political issues.”
Lapid raised the issue of Israeli captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Egypt is mediating between Israel and Hamas on a long-term ceasefire that includes the exchange of terrorists held in Israeli prison for the captives held by Hamas in Gaza.
In addition, the two discussed “ways to strengthen the security of the State of Israel in the face of terrorist threats as well as a number of options regarding humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated.
Shukri “stressed the need to resolve the current stalemate between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, leading to just and comprehensive peace negotiations.”
Shukri last met with an Israeli representative, then Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, in Cairo at the end of May, the first official visit by an Israeli foreign minister in Egypt in 13 years.