Egypt says discussions ongoing with US to hold Gaza reconstruction conference

• Cairo discusses with Quad, Germany to ‘reach truce, establish safe zones, and safe humanitarian corridors’ in Sudan, foreign minister says

ISTANBUL

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Tuesday that Cairo is conducting consultations with the US on an international conference for rebuilding the Gaza Strip following Israel’s two-year war on the enclave.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, Abdelatty said discussions are ongoing with Washington to set a date for the conference, which will be co-chaired by Egypt and the US.

The minister called for access to larger quantities of humanitarian aid into Gaza to meet the needs of the territory’s population.

“We are working to consolidate the ceasefire agreement and begin the implementation of the second phase of (US) President Trump’s plan, and to move into the stage of early recovery and reconstruction.”

A ceasefire deal took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10, halting two years of Israeli attacks that have killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

Abdelatty said Egypt and Germany welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 on Gaza, which stipulated the establishment of a Board of Peace, an International Stabilization Force (ISF), and an administrative committee in the enclave.

“The situation in the West Bank is no less dire than that in the Gaza Strip, especially in light of the terror campaigns carried out by settlers against innocent civilians in the region,” the Egyptian minister said.

The top diplomat stressed the need for the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with legitimate international resolutions.

Regarding the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, he stressed that Egypt has “a clear vision” within the framework of a plan presented by the international Quad mechanism, “which outlines a roadmap for a ceasefire and the launch of a comprehensive political process that is entirely Sudanese-owned.”

In September, the Quad, comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, proposed a plan calling for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan, paving the way for a permanent end to the war and a nine-month inclusive transitional process leading to an independent civilian government.

Abdelatty said Egypt is discussing with the Quad and Germany to “reach a truce, establish safe zones, and safe humanitarian corridors that would lead to a ceasefire and the start of an inclusive political process that excludes no one.”

The Egyptian minister arrived in Germany on Monday, where he had bilateral talks with German officials on ways to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as a host of regional and international issues of mutual interest.

A Foreign Minister readout said Abdelatty and Wadephul agreed to launch a political consultation mechanism at the level of the foreign ministers.