ISTANBUL

Egypt and Qatar confirmed on Monday their ongoing coordination with Washington to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

An Egyptian presidency statement said Sisi and Sheikh Mohammed affirmed the importance of continuing their joint efforts, in coordination with the US, “to reach an agreement that guarantees an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that allows the immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, as well as the release of hostages.”

They stressed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital “represents the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East region.”

Sisi underscored the “need to immediately begin the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire,” and to prepare for holding an international conference in Cairo for rebuilding the territory “in cooperation with the Palestinian government and the UN.”

According to the statement, the two sides categorically rejected “the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces or any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land.”

Last week, Israel’s Security Cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully reoccupy Gaza, triggering international outrage and domestic protests that warned it amounted to a “death sentence” for Israeli captives held in the enclave.

Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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.