Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns on Tuesday discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza war, the Egyptian presidency said.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, Reuters/Julia Nikhinson
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns on Tuesday discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza war, the Egyptian presidency said.
"The president affirmed the Egyptian position rejecting the continuation of military operations in the Gaza Strip," the presidency said in a statemet.
Senior U.S. officials were in the region to push for a ceasefire after Hamas made concessions last week, but the Palestinian militant group said a new Israeli assault on Gaza on Monday threatened truce talks at a crucial moment and called for mediators to rein in Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An Egyptian security delegation will head to Doha on Wednesday "on a mission to bring viewpoints closer between Hamas and Israel in order to reach a truce agreement as soon as possible," Egypt's state-affiliated Al-Qahera News cited a senior source as saying.
Egypt and Qatar have been leading mediating efforts in the nine-month war between Israel and Hamas in hopes of ending the fighting and securing the release of Israeli hostages in exchange of Palestinian prisoners.
Reporting by Mohamed Wali
European Union foreign ministers will discuss next week a proposal for the bloc to take the lead in training 3,000 Palestinian police officers with the aim of later deploying them in Gaza, according to a document seen by Reuters on Friday.
From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as U.S. plans for its future slowly take shape, Gazans say, adding to rivals' doubts over whether it will cede authority as promised.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has approved a major new initiative to streamline cross-border travel across the region.
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