Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar traveled to Egypt on Sunday in a bid to assuage tensions with Cairo after it accused Jerusalem of failing to adhere to the terms of a truce that ended cross-border violence with Gaza Strip terrorists earlier this month.
The Egyptians, longstanding mediators between the Jewish state and Palestinian factions in Gaza, assumed that Israel would restrain its military activity against Islamist militants Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as part of the ceasefire agreement, but Israeli forces continue to carry out raids on the group's operatives regularly.
Tensions between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza simmered after the arrest of the group's leader in the West Bank Bassam al-Saadi, and eventually boiled over with the targeted killing of Islamic Jihad commander Tayseer Jabari by Israel, which sparked 55 hours of fighting between the sides.
Bar met with the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel, who canceled a planned visit to Israel in the days after the flare-up, codenamed Operation Breaking Dawn in Israel.
The Israeli intelligence official discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the demands of the Egyptians to release Islamic Jihad prisoners, including al-Saadi.
The Shin Bet refused to comment on the trip.
Meanwhile, a military court on Sunday extended al-Saadi's remand until Thursday. The prosecution is expected to file an indictment against him, with the main charge being incitement.