Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his meeting with EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Christophe Bigot in Cairo on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry
The two sides also discussed developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and escalating regional tensions, the foreign ministry said.
The discussions come amid heightened military escalation in the region, with Egypt warning of the impact of ongoing tensions on regional stability and efforts to contain the crisis.
Abdelatty stressed the need to maintain focus on implementing all provisions of the second phase of the US-led Gaza ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas, including ensuring the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid, as a step toward early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, the foreign ministry spokesman, Tamim Khalaf, said.
The meeting also addressed preparations to enable the national committee for Gaza administration to assume its duties inside the strip in the coming phase, with both sides underlining the importance of international support to ensure the body can effectively carry out its responsibilities.
They also highlighted the need for the swift deployment of an international stabilization force.
In parallel, the two sides discussed enhancing coordination on training Palestinian police personnel in Egypt ahead of their deployment in Gaza, as part of broader efforts to support stability and enforce the rule of law. Abdelatty reaffirmed the importance of keeping the Rafah crossing open in both directions and ensuring the continued entry of humanitarian aid.
Talks also covered developments in the occupied West Bank, where Abdelatty condemned the accelerating pace of Israeli settlement activity and attempts to impose new realities on the ground.
He further denounced Israeli measures restricting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque and repeated Israeli storming the compound, as well as the Israeli Knesset’s approval of a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners, warning of the serious repercussions of these actions on prospects for de-escalation.
Both sides agreed on the importance of sustained Egyptian-European coordination to support the political process and advance a just and comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian issue, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Egypt on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli national security minister’s storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, calling it a “serious escalation,” an unacceptable provocation, and a violation of international law.
The meeting also comes as diplomatic efforts intensify to prevent further escalation in Gaza and the wider region, amid ongoing war, stalled ceasefire negotiations, and growing international focus on post-conflict governance and security arrangements in the strip.
Egypt has positioned itself as a central mediator in the Gaza crisis, working alongside Qatar and the United States to broker ceasefire agreements, facilitate hostage-prisoner exchanges, and coordinate humanitarian access.
The discussions also come against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the West Bank, expanding Israeli settlement activity, and repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, developments that have raised concerns over a broader deterioration of security conditions and the viability of a political settlement.
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