Skip to main content

UAE president, Trump discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts, state news agency says

1 min Bruno Finel

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed in a phone call efforts for reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, as Israel resumed its military offensive in the enclave last week.

The United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Reuters/Maxim Shemetov

The United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Reuters/Maxim Shemetov

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed in a phone call efforts for reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, as Israel resumed its military offensive in the enclave last week.

The Israeli military resumed fighting in Gaza on March 18, shattering a fragile two-month ceasefire. Since then, nearly 700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials.

In his phone call with Trump, the Emirati president also urged making aid available for Gaza residents as well as supporting the two-state solution, WAM reported.

In early February, Trump presented his plan for Gaza which entailed displacing Palestinians and creating a Middle East "Riviera". The proposal drew condemnations from many global leaders.

Arab states including the UAE adopted an Egyptian alternative reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians.

WAM's report did not mention if the two leaders discussed those plans.

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to UAE's president, said on February 26 that a Gaza reconstruction plan cannot happen without a clear path to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

The UAE is among the few Arab states that normalised ties with Israel in 2020 in U.S.-brokered agreements under Trump.

Palestinian health authorities say Israel's ground and air campaign in Gaza which resumed last week has killed a total of more than 50,000 people. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas militants stormed across the border, and Israel said the militants killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 people into captivity in Gaza.

Bruno Finel

Bruno Finel

Bruno Finel is the editor-in-chief of Mena Today. He has extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa, with several decades of reporting on current affairs in the region.

Related

United Arab Emirates

Zelenskiy announces new three-way talks in Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, adding that he hoped a meeting of the countries' leaders would follow.

Israel

Eisenkot challenges Netanyahu on his own ground: security

Reserved, media-shy, and a relative newcomer to Israeli politics, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot presents a clear contrast to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the veteran leader he aims to defeat in an election next week.

Gaza

UN rapporteur calls on Jakarta to step back from Gaza board

Indonesia should reconsider its involvement in US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan because it is being shaped by Israel and the US and lacks a Palestinian voice, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories told Reuters on Thursday.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.