Egypt, Qatar push for 60-day Gaza truce leading to permanent ceasefire
ISTANBUL: Egypt and Qatar on Sunday expressed hope for a swift agreement on a 60-day temporary truce between Israel and Hamas that would pave the way for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
A joint statement urged all parties "to exercise responsibility and support the efforts of mediators aimed at resolving the crisis in the Gaza Strip through restoring stability and calm to the region."
The two countries said they continue their intensive efforts "to bring views closer and address contentious points with a view to reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, based on the proposal of the United States (US) President's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, thereby enabling the resumption of indirect negotiations on the basis of this proposal."
They also said they are "striving to swiftly reach a 60-day temporary truce, which would pave the way for a permanent ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip."
The statement said this move "would facilitate the resolution of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the region, enable the opening of border crossings, and allow the entry of humanitarian and relief aid to alleviate the suffering faced by the Palestinian people in Gaza."
Cairo and Doha also noted this effort "aims to bring an end to the war entirely and initiate the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in accordance with the plan adopted by the emergency Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4."
– Bernama-Anadolu
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
US-backed Gaza aid group names right-wing Christian leader as new head
WASHINGTON: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed aid group, on Tuesday named an evangelical Christian leader as its new chairman, after rescuers said Israel's military killed 27 people near a GHF distribution center in the territory. The appointment of Reverend Johnnie Moore 'underscores GHF's determination to pair operational excellence with experienced, service-oriented leadership,' the group's acting executive director John Acree said in a statement. 'His insight will be invaluable as we build on our early success.' GHF's first month of operations, in which it began distributing food to starving Gazans through several hubs in the Palestinian territory, has been marred by criticism. The foundation uses contracted US security, and Israel has worked with it to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. But the Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near GHF sites, and the United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. On Tuesday a leading US management consulting firm that helped create the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it has terminated its contract with the organization and placed the partner leading the project on leave. Boston Consulting Group helped establish the GHF in October 2024, one year after an unprecedented Hamas invasion of Israel triggered the ongoing Gaza war. 'Unapproved follow-on work relating to Gaza lacked buy-in from multilateral stakeholders and was stopped on May 30. BCG has not and will not be paid for any of this work,' the group said in a statement. BCG said a formal review of the work has begun, and 'the partner who led this work has been placed on administrative leave.' The GHF did not mention BCG or its contract termination. It did say however that it 'has delivered more than 7 million meals through its secure distribution system without incident.' Emergency responders said Israel's military killed at least 27 people near a GHF center in Gaza on Tuesday, leading the UN human rights chief to condemn such attacks on civilians as 'a war crime' following a similar shooting in the same area Sunday. Moore has had a confrontational approach to the United Nations. After UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed revulsion at 'reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza' on Sunday, Moore responded angrily. 'Mr Secretary General, it was a lie,' the reverend posted to Guterres on X, 'spread by terrorists & you're still spreading it. Correct this.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
GHF Names Evangelical Leader Amid Gaza Aid, Attack Fallout
WASHINGTON: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed aid group, on Tuesday named an evangelical Christian leader as its new chairman, after rescuers said Israel's military killed 27 people near a GHF distribution center in the territory. The appointment of Reverend Johnnie Moore 'underscores GHF's determination to pair operational excellence with experienced, service-oriented leadership,' the group's acting executive director John Acree said in a statement. 'His insight will be invaluable as we build on our early success.' GHF's first month of operations, in which it began distributing food to starving Gazans through several hubs in the Palestinian territory, has been marred by criticism. The foundation uses contracted US security, and Israel has worked with it to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. But the Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near GHF sites, and the United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. On Tuesday a leading US management consulting firm that helped create the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it has terminated its contract with the organization and placed the partner leading the project on leave. Boston Consulting Group helped establish the GHF in October 2024, one year after an unprecedented Hamas invasion of Israel triggered the ongoing Gaza war. 'Unapproved follow-on work relating to Gaza lacked buy-in from multilateral stakeholders and was stopped on May 30. BCG has not and will not be paid for any of this work,' the group said in a statement. BCG said a formal review of the work has begun, and 'the partner who led this work has been placed on administrative leave.' The GHF did not mention BCG or its contract termination. It did say however that it 'has delivered more than 7 million meals through its secure distribution system without incident.' Emergency responders said Israel's military killed at least 27 people near a GHF center in Gaza on Tuesday, leading the UN human rights chief to condemn such attacks on civilians as 'a war crime' following a similar shooting in the same area Sunday. Moore has had a confrontational approach to the United Nations. After UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed revulsion at 'reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza' on Sunday, Moore responded angrily. 'Mr Secretary General, it was a lie,' the reverend posted to Guterres on X, 'spread by terrorists & you're still spreading it. Correct this.'
Free Malaysia Today
11 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site
There have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies. (AP pic) CAIRO : At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip today, local health authorities said, in the latest bout of chaos and bloodshed to plague the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas rebels that has laid waste to much of the enclave. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early today and that the aid operation was 'conducted safely and without incident within the site'. However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. Yesterday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution 'fabrications' by Hamas. Yesterday, it said IDF forces had identified 'a number of suspects' moving towards them while deviating from the access routes. 'The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces,' it said. Mass evacuations ordered UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said yesterday he was 'appalled' by reports of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid and called for an independent investigation. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late yesterday, warning that the army would act forcefully against rebels operating in those areas. The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. The territory's health ministry said today that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Oct 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.
