Egypt's Sisi appoints new chief of powerful intelligence agency
Egypt's president on Wednesday appointed a new director of its General Intelligence Service, a powerful agency that has played a key role in Gaza cease-fire talks.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appointed a new director of Egypt’s main intelligence apparatus, the General Intelligence Service (GIS), on Wednesday, replacing the longtime chief who has been a close confidant of the president.
The new intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, takes the place of Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel, who has served in the role since 2018. Rashad previously served as a deputy to Kamel. Kamel was separately appointed on Wednesday as an advisor to and special envoy of Sisi, as well as the general coordinator of security services.
Reuters, citing security sources, reported on Wednesday that Kamel had recently delegated some of his tasks to other officials as a result of health issues.
Rashad was sworn in on Wednesday. The GIS is a powerful and ubiquitous state agency in Egypt that is responsible for both domestic and foreign intelligence, and its chief reports directly to Egypt’s president.
Though details about Rashad remain scant, his tenure will likely differ from that of Kamel's. In addition to serving as Kamel's deputy, Rashad is a longtime GIS officer. Kamel, unlike Rashad, was not a GIS insider when he was appointed director, but was a military leader and later chief of staff to Sisi.
The intelligence agency and former director Kamel have led Egypt in its role in the Gaza cease-fire talks. Kamel has met with CIA chief Bill Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea, Hamas’ delegation and others in Cairo and Doha over the past few months. As the new GIS chief, Rashad will likely assume Kamel’s role in the negotiations.
Sisi's replacement of the GIS director comes a few months after a major cabinet reshuffle in July, changing the makeup of at least 20 ministries amid worsening economic and political crises.
