CAIRO / ISTANBUL

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Sunday that Cairo wants to prepare a joint roadmap with Pakistan for 2026 to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various fields.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Abdelatty delivered a written message from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, during his official visit to Islamabad, focusing on ways to deepen bilateral ties.

He also stressed the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 on Gaza and move ahead with the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, which took effect in the Palestinian enclave on Oct. 10.

The Egyptian minister said an international stabilization force must operate fully to sustain the ceasefire, as outlined in the resolution.

Abdelatty reviewed preparations for an international conference on early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, which was expected to take place in November but has yet to be held.

The ceasefire deal, mediated by Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar and backed by the US, halted two years of Israeli attacks that have killed more than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others since October 2023.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.