Gen. Abbas Kamel, a longtime confidant of Egypt’s president, oversaw the country’s most important international relationships and helped maintain the president’s authoritarian grip.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad as head of the powerful general intelligence agency on Wednesday, appointing the outgoing chief Abbas Kamel as an adviser to the presidency.

Sisi has replaced Abbas Kamel as the head of Egypt's state intelligence agency amid failed Gaza talks and the pressures of the war in Sudan.

Abbas Kamel played an instrumental role in brokering cease-fire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.