The official told the ‘Times of Israel’ that this will only happen if there are fundamental changes in Israel’s behavior. The official confirmed that ‘this stance comes despite the efforts made by Netanyahu in collaboration with the US administration to arrange a bilateral summit, at a time when the main points of disagreement remain, particularly concerning the Gaza Strip and the management of the Rafah crossing.’ He explained that ‘Egypt considers the idea of displacing Gaza residents a red line that cannot be compromised, as Tel Aviv has not completely ruled out this option yet, hindering any high-level diplomatic rapprochement.’
Yesterday, Israeli media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a multi-billion dollar agreement to supply Egypt with natural gas. According to a high-level American diplomatic source familiar with the arrangements, who confirmed the details of these efforts in statements to the ‘Times of Israel,’ Israeli officials have been working on this planned visit in recent days, in coordination with high-level American diplomats. During his visit, Netanyahu is expected to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and aims to portray the visit as ‘historic,’ according to the source.
In recent weeks, some reports indicated that America is seeking to hold a trilateral summit between U.S. President Donald Trump, his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter’s expected visit to Florida later this month. After reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Netanyahu was invited by el-Sisi to accompany U.S. President Donald Trump from Jerusalem on October 13, 2025, to a summit in Sharm El Sheikh, in an invitation arranged at the last moment through Trump’s mediation, but Netanyahu declined the trip citing its coincidence with religious holidays.
In August 2025, Israeli media reported that the Israeli company ‘New Med Energy,’ a subsidiary of the Delek Group, signed an unprecedented agreement to export natural gas to Egypt, to be implemented until 2040. This agreement represents the largest export deal in the history of the State of Israel, valued at $35 billion, and is considered a strategic shift in its regional position as a major energy supplier in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the Israeli ‘Maariv.’
According to the newspaper, the first phase of the deal involves exporting about 20 billion cubic meters from the ‘Leviathan’ field to the Egyptian market in the coming period. The second phase of the agreement is expected to begin upon the completion of the infrastructure expansion of the ‘Leviathan’ field, the largest Israeli gas field, which includes exporting up to 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas, raising the total agreed quantities to about 130 billion cubic meters. According to the newspaper, this deal is an extension of the existing gas export agreement between the two sides since 2019, which stipulates the export of about 60 billion cubic meters of gas to Egypt.
