Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be traveling to Cairo on Tuesday to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. They will discuss the Gaza ceasefire and the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Also visiting Cairo will be Ofir Dekel, the prime minister’s agent responsible for obtaining the release of captive soldiers.

Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad is also involved, having released messages during the past days that efforts are being stepped up to obtain Shalit’s release, seeking to assure the soldier’s family that the ceasefire was a necessary first step to get him out.

The ceasefire did win a cabinet majority, but there were ministers opposed, as was IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and senior members of the intelligence community. Nevertheless, the prime minister, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni all voted in favor.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)