Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi confirmed, on Thursday, the continuation of his country’s efforts with Qatar and the United States to reach an agreement to cease fire in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners.
Sisi stressed, in a statement by the Egyptian presidency, the continuation of Egypt’s efforts, in cooperation and partnership with Qatar and the United States, to enhance the chances of calm by reaching an immediate ceasefire agreement, which would allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and stop the regional escalation.
With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has resulted in more than 136,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and deadly famine.
For months, Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) have been conducting faltering indirect negotiations to reach an agreement, and the movement announced a few days ago its rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to impose new conditions.
In this context, an Egyptian-Kuwaiti statement published by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the viewpoints were identical regarding the necessity of an immediate ceasefire and reaching an agreement that guarantees the rapid release of the detained prisoners, and full and unconditional access to humanitarian and medical aid to the Gaza Strip.
The two sides warned of the danger of deliberate escalation by the Israeli side, which is pushing the region to the brink of the abyss.
They stressed their absolute rejection of any scenarios targeting the displacement of Palestinians outside their lands, and of any lies repeated by the Israeli side in an attempt to justify its refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.
Days ago, Netanyahu claimed that weapons were smuggled into Gaza from Egypt through tunnels under the Philadelphi border axis, which Cairo denied and directed sharp criticism at Netanyahu, and many countries expressed solidarity with it.
Netanyahu’s new conditions
Israeli negotiators, prisoners’ families and opposition leaders say Netanyahu’s new conditions hinder a deal with Hamas and threaten the lives of prisoners.
Netanyahu insists on continuing to occupy the Netzarim Corridor, which separates the northern Gaza Strip from the center and south, the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt, while Hamas insists on the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army.
Hamas revealed that it met with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Doha as part of the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
The movement expressed its readiness to implement the ceasefire agreement, based on the announcement of US President Joe Biden and the Security Council resolution, immediately.
The movement also denied setting any new demands, and at the same time rejected any new conditions for the agreement by any party.