Ron Dermer, Israel’s strategic affairs minister, has recently visited the United Arab Emirates to discuss the war in Gaza, according to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.
Dermer is a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and took charge of Israel’s negotiating team in ceasefire talks earlier this year.
According to Kan, he made a secret trip to the Emirates with a high-level delegation.
As well as discussing the war in Gaza, they also reportedly discussed security and diplomatic affairs. Dermer’s office did not comment on the meeting.
It was reported earlier this week that the strategic affairs minister plans to retire from politics before the next election, which is set for October next year.
Dermer was Israel’s ambassador to the US between 2013 and 2021. He was seen as a key figure in negotiating the so-called Abraham Accords, which saw the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalise relations with Israel in 2020.
Since February, he has taken charge of Gaza truce talks, which had previously been led by Mossad chief David Barnea and former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Monday that Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire proposal presented by mediators.
“The movement has handed over its approval to the new proposal presented by the mediators,” Naim wrote on Facebook.
Read more: Israeli minister makes secret trip to the Emirates for diplomatic talks
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