Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty
Abdelatty made his remarks during a phone call on Sunday with Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al-Sheikh, during which they discussed rising tensions across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s condemnation of the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Israeli authorities closed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, shortly after the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February, preventing thousands of Palestinians from attending prayers, including two consecutive Friday prayers and nightly Taraweeh prayers.
During the call, Abdelatty reaffirmed Cairo's backing of Palestinian rights and voiced strong opposition to recent moves to annex parts of the West Bank and expand Israeli settlements.
He described the Israeli actions as violations of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Adopted in 2016, the resolution states that Israeli settlements constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
On Gaza, the minister stressed the urgency of empowering the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to begin operating from within the strip, the statement added.
He said the step is essential to managing the post-ceasefire transitional period and paving the way for the Palestinian Authority to resume full governance over both Gaza and the West Bank.
The NCAG is a 15-member transitional technocratic body formed in January 2026 under UNSC Resolution 2803 and the US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. It is mandated to manage the strip's daily affairs, though Israel continues to block its entry.
Abdelatty also called for accelerating reconstruction and improving humanitarian conditions in the territory, the statement added.
The two officials further discussed the wider regional military escalation, with Abdelatty urging a shift toward diplomatic solutions and greater international coordination to prevent the conflict from spreading.
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