Egypt’s Sisi hosts Qatar leader for Gaza ceasefire talks

AFP | Cairo, Egypt

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met yesterday to review “intensive efforts” towards a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Cairo said.

In Cairo, Sisi and Sheikh Tamim “discussed the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip, and the subsequent regional challenges that push the region in dangerous and uncalculated directions”, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

“The two leaders discussed the best ways to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and to stop the bloodshed,” it added.

“They reviewed the intensive efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and sustaining the delivery of humanitarian aid in quantities that meet the needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The high-level meeting in Cairo comes ahead of Saturday’s summits in Saudi Arabia, where Arab and Muslim leaders are expected to press for an end to more than a month of fighting.

Both Egypt and Qatar had been involved in previous talks which led to the release, at the end of October, of two women kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israeli territory on October 7.

With the Rafah crossing, Egypt is historically a key mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.