Israeli Security Delegation Meets Military Leaders in Sudan

People hold Sudanese flags during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan (Reuters)
People hold Sudanese flags during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan (Reuters)
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Israeli Security Delegation Meets Military Leaders in Sudan

People hold Sudanese flags during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan (Reuters)
People hold Sudanese flags during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan (Reuters)

A high-ranking official Israeli security delegation arrived in Khartoum Wednesday to meet with Sudanese military and security leaders.

The visit is part of a series of meetings between Khartoum and Tel Aviv since the top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Entebbe, Uganda, in February 2020.

Sudan signed the Abrahamic Accords on January 6, 2021, and normalized relations with Israel.

Sources in Khartoum reported that the delegation is expected to hold meetings with Burhan, his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the chief of General Intelligence, Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal.

Sudanese and Israeli authorities did not reveal the nature of those discussions, but a source told Asharq Al-Awsat that they were limited to the security aspects and recent developments in the country.

The Israeli public broadcaster, Kan, reported that a high-level delegation arrived from Tel Aviv for a visit that lasts hours, during which talks will be held with Sudanese military leaders.

Kan indicated that the Israeli delegation took off from Ben Gurion Airport in the morning and made a "diplomatic stopover" in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt before leaving for Sudan.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not confirm or deny the news.

The broadcaster gave brief information about the visit without specifying the names or ranks of the participants.

The last visit of an Israeli delegation to Sudan was in November, chaired by the head of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, according to Kan. Khartoum did not disclose the purpose of the secret visit.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a senior official in the Rapid Support Forces received the visiting delegation at Khartoum airport.

The delegation’s visit came in light of the complex political and economic situations in Sudan.

In recent weeks, Sudan has been in turmoil amid daily anti-coup protests and clashes with the security forces.

On Monday, the security forces killed seven people and wounded hundreds of others. As a result, the Forces for Freedom and Change called for two days of civil disobedience on Tuesday.



Hamas Armed Wing Says It Lost Contact with Group Holding Israeli-US Hostage Alexander

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
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Hamas Armed Wing Says It Lost Contact with Group Holding Israeli-US Hostage Alexander

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)

The armed wing of Hamas said on Tuesday it had lost contact with a group of fighters holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Ubaida, the armed wing's spokesperson, said on the Telegram that it lost contact after the Israeli army attacked the place where the fighters were holding Alexander, who is a New Jersey native and a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army.

Abu Ubaida did not say where in Gaza Alexander was purportedly held. The armed wing later released a video warning hostages families that their "children will return in black coffins with their bodies torn apart from shrapnel from your army".

Hamas has previously blamed Israel for the deaths of hostages held in Gaza, including as a direct result of military operations, while also acknowledging on at least one occasion that a hostage was killed by a guard. It said the guard had acted against instructions.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to a request for comment on the Hamas statement about Alexander.

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House in March that gaining the release of Alexander, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority for us".

The Tikva Forum, a group representing some family members of those held in Gaza, had said earlier on Tuesday that Alexander was among up to 10 hostages who could be released by Hamas if a new ceasefire was reached, citing a conversation a day earlier between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the mother of another hostage. There was no immediate comment on that from Netanyahu's office.

On Saturday Hamas released a video purportedly showing Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since he was captured by Palestinian gunmen on October 7, 2023.

The release of Alexander was at the center of earlier talks held between Hamas leaders and US hostage negotiator Adam Boehler last month.

Hamas released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on January 19. In March, Israel's military resumed its ground and aerial offensive on Gaza, abandoning the ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.

Israeli officials say that offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized. Hamas insists it will free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.