CAIRO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad met Thursday with Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Cairo to discuss efforts to end the crisis in the Gaza Strip and stabilize the ongoing ceasefire in the enclave, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV reported.

During the meeting, attended by Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj, both sides agreed to "support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement and reaffirm rejection of the Israeli Knesset's decision to annex any Palestinian land," said the report.

Meanwhile, Cairo is hosting talks among Palestinian factions aimed at reaching consensus "within the framework of the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan," the report said.

It added that Egypt is intensifying its communications with the United States "to stabilize the ceasefire in Gaza and achieve a just and lasting peace in the region."

Rashad met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Tuesday, where they discussed advancing Trump's plan, as well as ties between the two countries, according to Netanyahu's office.

The long-awaited ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10 after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, was mediated by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye.

Recently, Israel has seen increased U.S. diplomatic activity, with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, followed by Vice President JD Vance, having visited to discuss the next ceasefire stage. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected in Israel later Thursday for the same purpose.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign has killed 68,280 Palestinians and injured 170,375 others, Gaza's health authorities said in an update on Thursday. Despite the ceasefire, at least 89 people have been killed and 317 others wounded in Gaza since Oct. 11, the authorities added. ■