In a conversation with Haaretz on Monday, the father of suspected Israeli spy Ilan Grapel said he hoped a deal between Israel and Egypt to secure his son’s release had in fact been signed, saying that he had not been given official word by Israeli officials.

Earlier Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that Israel and Egypt reached a prisoner exchange deal that would secure the release of the suspected Israeli spy, with the cabinet set to meet on Tuesday to give the deal a final seal of approval.

Grapel, who holds both Israeli and American citizenships, has been held in Egypt since June 12.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Grapel was first charged with espionage, but the charges were later changed to incitement, insurrection, and damaging a public building during the uprising that took place in Egypt earlier this year.

“We’ve yet to receive any word on the deal, only from the media and from the congressman who had been working for Ilan from [the United States],” Daniel Grapel told Haaretz on Monday, saying: “Until we see him these bizarre story will continue.”

Israeli officials later indicated that the Grapel family was indeed updated on the deal.

“It’s been going on for 4 months, anyone who knows Ilan in Israel knows that these spying stories aren’t even funny, it’s beyond ridiculous,” he said.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount