Egypt – On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, that there were risks to the Israeli attack on the city of Rafah, and stressed the need to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip “as soon as possible.”
This came during a phone call that Shoukry received from Blinken, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, hours following the delegations of Hamas and Israel left Cairo, to consult on the results of the truce negotiations.
Shoukry and Blinken’s discussions during the call focused on “developments in the security and humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Rafah, and the delicate stage that the ongoing negotiations in Cairo are going through to reach a truce that allows for a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners and detainees.”
The Egyptian minister stressed “the necessity of reaching a ceasefire as soon as possible.”
According to the Egyptian statement, “The two ministers agreed on the importance of urging the parties to show flexibility and make the necessary efforts to reach a truce agreement.”
My thanks to Blinken reiterated “the dangers of Israeli military operations in the Palestinian Rafah region, and the catastrophic humanitarian repercussions they will have, and the security consequences that will affect the stability and security of the region.”
The Egyptian statement stated that “the US Secretary of State agreed with his Egyptian counterpart on this matter.”
Shukri discussed with Blinken “the repercussions of military operations and Israel’s control of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, and the future risks of the continuation of this situation,” according to the same statement.
The two ministers agreed to “continue close consultation and coordination to continue pushing the parties to reach a comprehensive truce in Gaza, and put an end to the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.”
The call witnessed “an emphasis on the categorical rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land.”
On Thursday, the private “Cairo News” channel quoted a high-ranking Egyptian source as saying that the delegations of the Palestinian faction movement and Israel participating in the indirect negotiations to establish a truce in the Gaza Strip left Cairo “for consultation” following a round of negotiations that extended for two days, indicating the continued efforts of the mediators to bring the destinations closer together. The two sides looked at each other, without talking regarding a new date.
On Tuesday, the current round of negotiations began coinciding with the Israeli army’s announcement of “operational control” over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the day following it began a military operation in Rafah and issued warnings to 100,000 Palestinians to forcibly “evacuate” the east of the city.
Since October 7, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza that has left more than 113,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and regarding 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues the war despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council to stop the fighting “immediately,” and 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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2024-05-11 21:05:06
