Egypt urges full implementation of Gaza ceasefire deal

Sharjah 24 – AFP: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday called for the total compliance of the Gaza ceasefire deal, urging both Israel and Hamas to honour their commitments.

Call for full compliance

"There is no alternative to the faithful and full implementation by all parties of what was signed last January," Abdelatty said at a news conference in Cairo with the EU commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica. He also urged the European Union to exert "maximum pressure on the parties, especially the Israeli party, regarding commitment to the ceasefire agreement."

Ceasefire extension debate

As the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire drew to a close, Israel backed an extension proposed by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which would cover the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover. Hamas, however, has repeatedly rejected extending the first phase, instead insisting on moving directly to the second stage. This would involve the release of all remaining hostages and a more permanent end to the fighting in Gaza.

Moving forward with phase two

"We must now move forward with negotiations on the second phase, which will naturally be challenging," Abdelatty said. He added that progress remained possible "if goodwill and political will are present."

Gaza reconstruction plan and Arab support

Egypt is set to host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Monday, ahead of a Tuesday summit where Arab leaders are due to discuss a reconstruction plan for Gaza. Abdelatty said the plan had been finalized and was "awaiting presentation to Arab partners at the ministerial meeting and the summit for approval." Egypt has also been rallying Arab support against a plan by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."