Egypt's President Sisi urges Trump to end Gaza war
In a televised address, Sisi said Trump "is the one capable of stopping the war, bringing in aid and ending this suffering" after more than 21 months, with Gazans grappling with dire humanitarian conditions.
"Therefore, I am making a special appeal to His Excellency President Trump: please make every effort to stop the war and bring in aid," the Egyptian leader said.
"The time has come to end the war," said Sisi, whose government has been involved in mediation efforts aimed at securing an elusive truce as well as in sending aid into Gaza, which border Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
Trump said on Monday that a ceasefire between America's close ally Israel and Hamas was still "possible", after talks in Doha with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediation had ended with no breakthrough.
Gaza's population of more than two million people face a deepening humanitarian crisis, with UN agencies and aid groups warning of worsening starvation and malnutrition.
As international pressure grew, Israel has said in recent days it would allow more aid into the devastated territory, which was under a complete blockade for two months ending in late May.
Sisi said Egypt has a large number of aid trucks waiting at the Rafah border crossing, but "for aid to enter, coordination is necessary".
"The other party that is inside the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side must open for this aid to enter," he added, referring to Israel's military.
Formerly a vital conduit for life-saving aid, the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza has been effectively closed since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side more than a year ago.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
18 minutes ago
- NDTV
2 Ghana Ministers Among 8 Killed In Helicopter Crash
Ghana's defence and environment ministers were killed in a military helicopter crash Wednesday, the presidency said, after the air force chopper carrying three crew and five passengers came down in a forest in the south. Television station Joy News broadcast cell phone footage from the crash scene showing smouldering wreckage in a heavily forested area earlier in the day, before it was revealed that ministers Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among the dead. Boamah became President John Mahama's defence minister shortly after Mahama's swearing-in in January. Muhammed, 50, was serving as the minister of environment, science and technology. He had been scheduled to attend the UN talks currently underway in Geneva aimed at hammering out a landmark global treaty on combating the scourge of plastic pollution. Ghanaian media reported that the helicopter was on its way to an event on illegal mining -- a major environmental issue in the west African country. Everyone on board was killed in the accident in the southern Ashanti region, authorities said. "The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country," said Mahama's chief of staff Julius Debrah. The Ghanaian Armed Forces said investigations had been launched to determine the cause of the crash of the Z9 helicopter. The military had reported earlier Wednesday that an air force helicopter had dropped off the radar after taking off from Accra just after 9:00 am local time (0900 GMT). It had been headed towards the town of Obuasi, northwest of the capital. - Ministers' challenges - Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana's deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, was also among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of Mahama's National Democratic Congress party. Boamah was leading Ghana's defence ministry at a time when jihadist activity across its northern border in Burkina Faso has become increasingly volatile. While Ghana has so far avoided a jihadist spillover from the Sahel -- unlike neighbours Togo and Benin -- observers have warned of increased arms trafficking and of militants from Burkina Faso crossing the porous border to use Ghana as a rear base. A medical doctor by training, Boamah's career in government included stints as communications minister during Mahama's previous 2012-2017 tenure. Before that, he was the deputy minister for environment. Muhammed, the environment minister, was at the helm as the country battles illegal, informal gold mining that has ravaged farmlands and contaminated water. "Galamsey", as the practice is locally known, has been threatening cocoa production in particular and became a major issue in the election that saw Mahama elected last year. The establishment earlier this year of the Ghana Gold Board and the banning of foreigners from the local gold trade were seen as the first concrete signs of a crackdown on the practice by the new administration. Muhammed was a "committed environmentalist" and "deeply respected" by peers in Africa and globally, said UNEP Executive director Inger Andersen in Geneva, in a statement. Only a few weeks ago the minister was elected to be a member of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, said Andersen. Condolence messages also came from the ECOWAS and Africa Union chiefs. - Regional tensions - Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou in May as Ghana pursued increased diplomacy with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger -- all ruled by juntas who have broken with the west African regional bloc ECOWAS. He had been set to release a book titled "A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy", about former president John Atta Mills, who died in 2012. President Mahama suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week and declared three days of mourning starting Thursday with all flags to be flown at half-mast, his office said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Agriculture a stumbling block in talks, but India-US trade in sector sees surge
Even as agriculture, along with purchase of Russian oil, has emerged as a key sticking point in the trade talks between India and the United States, here's an interesting fact: Trade in farm produce between the two countries is actually booming and poised to touch a new record this year. During January-June 2025, India's imports of agricultural products from the US were, at $1,693.2 million, a whopping 49.1% more than the $1,135.8 million for the same six months of the last calendar year. India's agricultural exports to the US, too, were up 24.1%, from $2,798.9 million in January-June 2024 to $3,472.7 million in January-June 2025 (see chart). With US President Donald Trump doubling the tariff on import of goods from India to 50 per cent on Wednesday, the impact remains to be seen, but the trends so far suggest two-way farm trade at least surpassing previous highs. If the current growth rates hold, India's agricultural exports to the US could top $7.7 billion, and that of the US to India could be over $3.5 billion in 2025. The US's exports to India have been led by tree nuts — mainly almonds and pistachios — which were valued at $1.1 billion-plus in 2024, and registering further 42.8% annual growth during the first six months of this year. The other three big-ticket items are ethanol, soyabean oil and cotton. Ethanol exports from the US to India, worth over $420 million last year, are basically for manufacturing alcohol-based chemicals, medicines and other industrial uses. The US wants India to open up imports of ethanol also for fuel use, i.e. blending with petrol and diesel. India has been resisting that, just as much as it is not allowing imports of genetically modified (GM) maize and soyabean. US farmers mostly grow only GM maize (corn) and soyabean. India currently permits imports of non-fuel ethanol and oil, produced from GM corn and soyabean respectively, but not the whole grain and oilseed as such. Although the trade negotiations between the two sides are stuck due to India not yielding on GM crops, US exports of both corn-derived ethanol and soyabean oil to India have posted strong growth. The huge jump in soyabean oil exports from the US this year is likely to be sustained by India's move, on May 31, to slash its import duty from 27.5% to 16.5%. Cotton exports from the US have also been growing on the back of India turning into a net importer of the natural fibre. India's agricultural exports to the US are somewhat more diversified. While seafood (primarily frozen shrimp) has been the top item, there are others as well — from spices and essential oils to basmati rice, processed fruits & vegetables and baked foods — that have been doing well, with annual shipment value exceeding $200 million each. It's not clear how much of all these exports would be affected, especially with the new Trump tariff. Take seafood, where India's exports of $2,483.8 million in 2024 was just behind Canada ($3,956.9 million) and Chile ($3,030.1 million), and ahead of Indonesia ($1,907.9 million), Vietnam ($1,790.4 million) and Ecuador ($1,616.4 million). As of now, the 50% tariff on India is above that of all these competitors: Chile (10%), Ecuador (15%), Indonesia (19%), Vietnam (20%) and Canada (35%). While seafood exports from India have remained buoyant, growing by 32.5% year-on-year in January-June, sustaining that may not be easy as the tariff differentials bite. But the fact that agriculture trade per se between India and the US is booming should be some consolation in the present situation where talks are at a standstill.
Deccan Herald
18 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
In Gaza, hunger as a weapon of war
The genocide and famine engineered by Israel in Gaza have raised new questions to a world that has continued to fail with answers. A humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions has unfolded in Gaza after the Israeli government imposed a near-total siege and prevented all aid from reaching the strip, while continuing military action. The situation may be political and diplomatic, but at its core is a deeply moral issue. During the Holocaust, the world did not have knowledge of the full extent of the atrocities. But the genocide in Gaza is taking place in full view of the world – a section of the international community is complicit by supporting Israel, while others are unable to stop it for various reasons. Evidence has emerged on widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease causing a spike in hunger-related deaths. Malnutrition levels among children under five have reached 16.5%..Israel has violated all tenets of morality and international law. The International Court of Justice has passed strictures against the regime and acknowledged the risk of genocide in Gaza. The United Nations and major international humanitarian bodies such as Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders have expressed serious concern over the situation in Gaza. More than at any time in history, hunger is being used as a weapon of war. Access to water is restricted and there are severe curbs on supply of fuel and other commodities. Not even basic medical facilities are available and offers of medical aid and assistance are turned away. As much as 92% of the houses in Gaza have been destroyed and forced displacement orders have been issued in about 86% of the territory. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up by Israel and the US, is a cruel joke, running just four distribution centres against the 400 that the UN and the other agencies had the failure of the indirect ceasefire and hostage release talks in Doha, there are reports of Israel planning a bigger offensive for the 'conquest of Gaza'. The talks had aimed at a 60-day truce, inflow of aid, and exchange of half of the Israeli hostages with jailed Palestinians in Israel. There is opposition in Israel to the extension of war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sounded determined and US President Donald Trump supportive. The UN Conference on Palestine has proposed a two-state solution and some of the major countries, including France and the UK, have decided to recognise a Palestinian state. More than 145 countries have recognised Palestine. The question the world must answer is why it has failed to recognise and act on the basic human responsibility to the people of Palestine.
