Egypt Thanks Qatar for Role in Success of Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza

Egypt

The Arab Republic of Egypt expressed its gratitude to the State of Qatar for its continuous and fruitful coordination to ensure reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and praised the pivotal role played by the new US administration under President Donald Trump in ending the crisis, in addition to that of current US President Joe Biden.

In a statement issued Saturday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that, in coordination with its partners in the State of Qatar and the United States, Egypt is committed to constantly work on consolidating the ceasefire agreement and the full implementation of its provisions, by establishing a joint operations room based in Egypt to oversee the exchange of the hostages and detainees, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the movement of individuals after the reopening of the Rafah Crossing.

Egypt expressed its hope that this be the beginning of a path that would require concerted regional and international efforts as to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, calling on the international community, especially the United States, to support and consolidate the agreement for a permanent ceasefire and urging the international community to provide all humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people and set an emergency plan to reconstruct Gaza.

The statement also stressed the importance of quickly establishing a roadmap to rebuild trust between the two sides, paving the way for their return to the negotiation table and taking the necessary steps to resolve the Palestinian cause within the framework of the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement also highlighted the success of the strenuous Egyptian efforts made since the beginning of the Gaza crisis on October 7, 2023, in cooperation with Egypt's regional and international partners, to reach a ceasefire agreement.

The statement noted that the first phase of the agreement lasts for 42 days, during which Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian detainees by the Israeli side. It also emphasized the mediators' commitment to ensure the implementation of all three phases of the agreement within the agreed timelines, aiming to put an end to the humanitarian tragedy from which the people of Gaza have suffered for over a year due to Israeli military operations. These operations resulted in more than 50,000 martyrs, over 100,000 wounded, the majority of whom are children and women, and the complete collapse of the Strip's infrastructure, making it unfit for any form of human life.

The statement pointed out that driven by its belief in its pivotal role toward its Palestinian brothers, Egypt has exerted continuous efforts since the first day of the crisis to contain it at all levels. It added that Egypt set up a permanent operations room to monitor the crisis and focused its efforts from the beginning on intensifying the delivery of aid to the people of Gaza to alleviate the war's repercussions. It also reiterated its commitment to keeping the Rafah border crossing open around the clock to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and to receive the wounded and injured.

(QNA)