Egypt Daily News – Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty stressed on Monday the “need to resume the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to release hostages and prisoners, as a step toward sustaining the ceasefire and achieving President Donald Trump’s vision of comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
This came during a phone call between the Egyptian minister and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, in which they discussed negotiations regarding Gaza.
Abdel Aaty emphasized the need for humanitarian, relief, and medical aid to reach Gaza amid the severe deterioration of humanitarian conditions. He also noted Egypt’s readiness to host an international conference for early recovery and reconstruction in the Palestinian sector, in cooperation with the Palestinian government and the United Nations, once a ceasefire agreement is reached.
He also stressed “the importance of presenting a political horizon for the Palestinian issue that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state, in order to avoid repeated cycles of escalation and tension and to support security and stability in the region.”
Israeli Officials Headed to Washington
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are scheduled to arrive in Washington on Monday as part of a new effort by the Trump administration to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Reuters.
A close associate of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive at the White House a day after Trump called for an end to the ongoing war in the Palestinian enclave, which has lasted for 20 months. The visit aims to hold talks on a Gaza ceasefire and on Iran.
“Make a Gaza Deal, Get the Hostages Back”
Trump had called on Sunday for an end to the war in Gaza. He posted on his social media platform “Truth Social”: “Make a Gaza deal, get the hostages back.”
This comes as Egypt and Qatar, with U.S. support, launch renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to end the conflict that began on October 7, 2023, and to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas.
