Baghdad: Egypt discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and Sudan with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, reviewing efforts to support and provide relief to both countries. This came during telephone calls made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan, and Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that Abdel-Aty discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip during his calls and reviewed Egypt’s ongoing efforts to solidify the Sharm El-Sheikh peace agreement. He emphasized the importance of fully implementing the agreement’s provisions to ensure an end to the war and alleviate the humanitarian suffering.
During his calls, Abdel-Aty stressed the necessity of moving to the second phase of the US President’s plan, encompassing political, developmental, and humanitarian aspects in Gaza. The Egyptian Foreign Minister also reviewed his country’s preparations for the International Conference on Reconstruction, Early Recovery, and Development in the Gaza Strip, scheduled to be held in Cairo this month.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry considered this conference a pivotal step in mobilizing international support for the reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip and achieving stability. Egypt hosted the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit on October 13th, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. More than 20 world leaders and officials participated, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Sudanese Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
The summit aimed to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, bolster efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East, and open a new chapter of regional security and stability,” according to the Egyptian presidency at the time. On October 10th, a ceasefire agreement, brokered by Trump, ended a two-year Israeli offensive on Gaza, supported by Washington.
This offensive resulted in the deaths of more than 68,000 Palestinians and injuries to over 170,000 others. Israel violated the agreement dozens of times, killing approximately 250 more Palestinians. Israel has caused widespread destruction, affecting 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with the United Nations estimating the cost of reconstruction at approximately $70 billion.
Meanwhile, the four parties discussed the latest developments in Sudan during their telephone conversations. Abdel-Aati expressed his country’s condemnation of the “blatant violations witnessed recently in El Fasher (the capital of North Darfur State/western Sudan).”
The Rapid Support Forces seized El Fasher on the 26th of last month and committed massacres against civilians, according to local and international organizations, amid warnings of a potential de facto partition of the country. Abdel-Aati reiterated his country’s position of “supporting the unity and stability of Sudan and its national institutions.”
He stressed the importance of “concerted regional and international efforts to reach a comprehensive humanitarian truce that paves the way for launching an inclusive political process, while ensuring the flow of humanitarian and relief aid to all parts of Sudan.” He called for “an immediate end to the violations in El Fasher.”
Currently, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occupy all five Darfur states in the west, out of a total of 18 states in the country. The army controls most of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum. The Darfur region comprises approximately one-fifth of Sudan’s total area, yet the majority of Sudan’s 50 million people live in areas under army control.