Egypt – Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed, yesterday, Wednesday, with his French counterpart, Stephane Ségournet, ways to cease fire in the Gaza Strip.
This came during a “flash” visit by the French Foreign Minister to Cairo, according to a statement by Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid, coinciding with indirect negotiations taking place between the delegations of the faction movement and Israel to conclude a possible prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The statement said, “Intensive discussions took place between Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart, during the latter’s fleeting visit to Cairo.”
He added, “The discussions included consultations on ways to resolve the crisis in Gaza,” noting “intensive efforts aimed at halting the fire in the Strip and preventing the humanitarian situation from worsening,” without further details.
Earlier Wednesday, the “Cairo News” channel (private) quoted a high-level Egyptian source without naming him, that Cairo is holding consultations to resolve “controversial points” between Israel and the faction movement regarding an Egyptian proposal for a truce.
In recent hours, there was pessimism regarding the fate of the indirect negotiations, as a result of a statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, in which he said that the Israeli army would enter the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, regardless of whether an agreement was reached with the faction movement or not. .
Claiming that it is “the last stronghold of the factional movement,” Israel insists on invading Rafah, despite increasing international warnings of possible catastrophic repercussions, in light of the presence of regarding 1.4 million displaced people there.
On the other hand, the faction movement adheres to the necessity of ending the war, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the freedom for the displaced to return to their areas, and the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid, within any prisoner exchange agreement.
Since October 7, the Israeli war on Gaza has left more than 112,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and regarding 10,000 missing amid famine and comprehensive destruction, according to Palestinian and UN data.
Israel continues this war despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council to stop the fighting immediately, and also despite the International Court of Justice demanding that it take immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Anatolia
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2024-05-03 11:45:41
