El Sisi, Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas meet in Cairo

Is Egypt planning a political shakeup in Gaza? President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo yesterday, according to an Ittihadiya statement. While the official statement “stuck to generalities,” some sources close to Abbas say the two presidents talked about the power-sharing agreement between Hamas rulers and exiled Mohammed Dahlan, the Associated Press reports. Abbas’ visit comes as ties between Egypt and Hamas have also been warming up, with the two sides reaching agreements for Egypt to supply Gaza with fuel and security equipment. The Palestinian Authority, which Abbas heads, has been moving to curb these relations, reportedly freezing the bank transfers that were funding Egypt’s fuel shipments.