Egypt and EU agree on urgent need for second phase of Gaza ceasefire
Egypt and the European Union have announced efforts to implement the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
Egypt and the European Union have announced efforts to implement the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
The second phase involves establishing a Board of Peace to oversee the peace process. During a meeting in Cairo, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized that the body should commence its work without delay.
"We are moving in all directions in order to start executing the specifics related to the second phase," stated Abdelatty at a joint news conference with Kallas in Cairo.
According to US President Donald Trump's plan , the Board of Peace is designated to supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, oversee the disarmament of Hamas, facilitate the deployment of an international stabilization force, coordinate additional Israeli troop withdrawals, and manage reconstruction efforts.
The ceasefire's initial phase commenced in October, shortly after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel. This attack resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities. All but one of the 251 hostages taken during this period have been released, either alive or deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Egypt and the European Union have announced efforts to implement the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
"In Gaza, the situation is extremely severe," remarked Kallas, criticizing both Hamas' refusal to disarm and Israel's restrictions on international NGOs.
"Without NGOs, aid can't reach the necessary scale in Gaza. There's no justification for the humanitarian situation in Gaza to have deteriorated to the current level," she added.
Since the ceasefire began in October, the Israeli military has reportedly killed over 400 individuals in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll from Israel's actions in Gaza since October 2023 has reached at least 71,391 as of January 6, the ministry reported.
Abdelatty indicated that the United States "will announce soon" specifics concerning the Gaza Peace Board and the formation of the technocrat committee.
Additionally, Abdelatty and Kallas discussed potential collaboration on managing the Rafah crossing , where the European Union has previously been involved alongside Israel and the Palestinian Authority under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access to aid entry facilitation.
The foreign minister reiterated Egypt's opposition to any measures that may exacerbate divisions between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
