A HIGH-LEVEL Egyptian delegation arrived in Israel today in the hope of brokering a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza.

At the same time, Cairo warned that a possible Israeli assault on the southern city of Rafah, on Gaza’s border with Egypt, could have catastrophic consequences for regional stability.

Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel is leading the delegation and plans to discuss with Israel a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, an Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Before the talks, which got under way last night, the Egyptian official said that they would initially focus on a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza “with minimum restrictions.”

Hamas has vowed to stick to its demands for a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal of Israeli troops, both of which Tel Aviv has rejected.

Israel insists on continuing to pursue Hamas’s defeat and that it will retain a “security” presence in Gaza afterwards.

Overnight, Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed border area, killing an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work and destroying two vehicles.

Low-intensity fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides.

In Lebanon, more than 350 people have been killed, including 50 civilians and 271 Hezbollah members, while 10 civilians and 12 soldiers have lost their lives in Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel has been conducting near-daily raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge.

Dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles have been massed in southern Israel in apparent preparation for an invasion.

Mr Kamel plans to make clear that Cairo “will not tolerate” Israel’s deployments of troops on that border, the Egyptian official said.

The official added that Egypt had shared intelligence with the United States and European countries showing that a Rafah offensive would inflame the entire region.

On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi cautioned that an Israeli attack on Rafah would have “catastrophic consequences on the humanitarian situation in the strip, as well as regional peace and security.”

He was speaking by phone to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Mr Sissi’s office said.

Posting on X, ultra-extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir scorned Cairo’s attempts to mediate a ceasefire.

“The Egyptian proposal arrived because Hamas is afraid of a Rafah operation,” he wrote. “Rafah now!”