Egypt assures Palestine that it is making efforts to end Gaza war

CAIRO

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa on Sunday that Cairo is working to end the war in Gaza while firmly rejecting any attempt by Israel to displace Palestinians.

The meeting took place in the northwestern city of New Alamein to discuss recent developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a statement from the Egyptian Cabinet.

Madbouly highlighted Egypt’s “firm position on the Palestinian cause,” expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and support to end the war.

He said Egypt rejects “any attempt or plan aimed at displacing Palestinians, creating an unlivable reality or liquidating the Palestinian cause” and also opposes continued home demolitions and settlement expansion across the Palestinian territories.

The prime minister emphasized Egypt’s “intensive efforts in international forums and through mediation with Qatar and the US” to restart ceasefire talks to end the war, secure sustained humanitarian aid to Gaza, and preserve the unity of Palestinian territories under the Palestinian Authority.

Mustafa said in a statement released by his office that coordination with Egypt, other Arab states and international partners is ongoing to halt Israel’s offensive.

He also noted ongoing work with Cairo to open all border crossings into Gaza for humanitarian relief and stressed Palestinian state readiness to assume full responsibility for Gaza under “a single political system, unified laws and one legitimate authority.”

Mustafa pointed to the outcome of the July peace conference at UN headquarters in New York co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France which called for recognition of a Palestinian state and full UN membership. He said this should be the basis for implementing a two-state solution and ending Israel’s occupation.

Separately, Mustafa met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in New Alamein to discuss preparations for an international reconstruction conference.

Another statement from Mustafa’s office said the talks reviewed emergency relief priorities such as restoring services, clearing rubble and temporary shelter, as well as long-term reconstruction and unifying Palestinian institutions between Gaza and the West Bank.

The two sides agreed to continue coordination to ensure the success of the reconstruction conference once a ceasefire is reached.

Mustafa’s visit to Egypt comes as Hamas and other Palestinian factions hold talks in Cairo to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Seven Palestinian factions meeting in the Egyptian capital last week said they supported all proposals to halt Israel’s offensive and called for an emergency national gathering under Egyptian auspices to agree on a unified strategy “to counter the Israeli occupation schemes and achieve the Palestinian people’s aspiration in freedom and establishing a Palestinian statehood with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Mustafa is expected to tour the Rafah crossing and humanitarian warehouses on the Egyptian side on Monday before holding a joint news conference with Abdelatty, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

He will also visit the field hospital near the crossing -- the first such visit by a senior Palestinian official since Israel unleashed its brutal assault on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on May 7, 2024, a day after launching a limited ground assault in the densely populated city despite international warnings.

The takeover worsened Gaza’s humanitarian crisis by cutting off aid deliveries and preventing patients from leaving the territory as most hospitals collapsed under the assault.

Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.