US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the United States has made progress on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip over the past month and a half, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aati stressed that the core of the conflict in the region is the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Blinken added that 15 of the 18 items in the proposed ceasefire agreement had been agreed upon, but the remaining issues needed to be resolved.
He stressed that Washington had put forward ideas to the Qatari and Egyptian sides in order to resolve the pending issues, but the agreement goes back to the issue of political intention, and the two parties must prove political intention in order to reach an agreement that prepares for a ceasefire, returns the hostages to their homes, and opens important horizons for calming the hot spots, including northern Israel and the Red Sea.
He also considered that a ceasefire is the best way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and confront the risks of regional destabilization.
Philadelphia Axis
On another topic, Blinken said that his country’s position on the Philadelphi Corridor separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip is that “we will not accept any change to the rules in effect before October 7.”
This is the same position that Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati confirmed in a press conference with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, today, Wednesday, when he said that Egypt will not accept any amendments to the rules set before October 7 regarding security on its border with Gaza and the operation of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.
Abdel-Ati warned of the danger of escalation in the region and attempts to drag it into a regional war, pointing out that there are serious challenges facing security and stability in the Middle East.
He added that there is agreement in the Egyptian and American positions on the necessity of implementing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stopping the bloodshed of Palestinian civilians, stressing the need to quickly reach an agreement to release detainees in Gaza and bring in more aid.
He said that the core of the conflict in the region is the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza, and that the main problem in the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is the absence of political will on the part of one party.
He added that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) “assures us of its full commitment to the understandings that were previously reached,” and that his country continues to cooperate with the United States and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
