Amira Dotan, head of the Middle East department at the Israeli foreign ministry, landed in Cairo on Wednesday morning for a five-hour visit, sources have told Ahram Online.

Dotan is part of a delegation of four diplomats and arrived on a private jet from Tel Aviv. She is a former Knesset member and ex-brigadier general in the Israeli military.

The delegation will look into a number of issues relating to Egyptian-Israeli relations.

It is the first visit to Egypt by an Israeli foreign ministry official since the January 25 Revolution in 2011.

Previously, only Israeli military and security officials have visited Egypt to discuss Sinai and Gaza.

In February, two delegations of Israeli security officials visited Cairo to discuss the regional security situation. No information was given about the meetings.

Relations between Egypt and Israel have been relatively strained since the January 25 Revolution. Many Egyptians have demanded Egypt stop natural gas sales to Tel Aviv and modify the 1978 Camp David peace treaty.

In 2011, a number of protests by pro-Palestinian groups were organised at the Israeli embassy in Cairo to pressure the then-ruling military council to shut down the mission.

In September 2011, protesters broke into the embassy. Israel is currently looking for a new embassy building.