Egypt calls for cease-fire in Gaza, timeframe for Palestinian state

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry speaks during joint press conference with Vice-President of the European Commission, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (not seen) and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi (not seen) after European Union (EU)-Egypt Association Council Meeting in Brussels, Belgium on January 23, 2024 [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]

Egypt called Sunday for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and reiterated its rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from the enclave, Anadolu Agency reports.

The Egyptian call came following talks in Cairo between Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne.

“Egypt reiterates its rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” Shoukry said during a press conference.

“The Palestinian issue must be dealt with through a comprehensive political framework,” he said, calling for setting a timeframe for establishing a Palestinian state.

Sejourne, for his part, called for a cease-fire in the Palestinian territory.

“We are concerned about the increasing tensions in the Red Sea region,” the French minister said.

Tension has soared in the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group on commercial ships suspected to have links with Israel and US retaliatory airstrikes.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 27,365 Palestinians and injuring 66,630 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

READ: Israel’s Ben-Gvir attacks Biden administration over Gaza war

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