Egyptian, Qatari foreign ministers discuss over phone latest developments in Gaza
The top diplomats of Egypt and Qatar discussed joint efforts on Tuesday to resume negotiations for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to exchange views on the latest situation in Gaza, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a readout.
The two ministers reviewed joint efforts, along with the US, “to resume the ceasefire to stop the bloodshed of the Palestinian people, secure the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the urgent and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the statement said.
On Sunday, the Egyptian foreign minister said that Cairo was working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
Egypt, Qatar, and the US brokered on Jan. 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
The deal, however, collapsed after Israel resumed its attacks on the enclave on March 18.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in a deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
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.
