Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced on Wednesday that Egypt is working closely with Qatar to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The proposed ceasefire aims to halt the ongoing Israeli military operations and enable the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Abdelatty made this announcement after meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti in Cairo, where the two officials discussed regional stability and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “At the heart of the Arab cause was, most importantly, the Palestinian cause and the catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip. Egypt, in cooperation with sisterly Qatar, is working diligently to reach an agreement that will ensure an immediate cessation of Israeli aggression, establish a ceasefire, and allow full and unconditional access to aid in Gaza,” Abdelatty stated.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing conflict, which began with Israeli airstrikes and ground operations, has led to over 45,000 Palestinian deaths, with women and children accounting for more than half of the casualties. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its casualty figures, but the impact on the civilian population has been devastating. As winter approaches, the situation in Gaza grows even more dire, with hundreds of thousands of people now living in overcrowded tent camps along the coast, exposed to cold and wet conditions.
Aid organizations are struggling to provide sufficient support to the population, citing severe shortages of blankets, warm clothing, and firewood. Despite Israel’s increase in the volume of aid entering Gaza, averaging 130 trucks daily in December—up from 70 per day in October and November—this amount is still insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs of the population. The United Nations has reported that it is unable to distribute more than half of the aid that enters the region due to restrictions imposed by Israeli forces and widespread theft and lawlessness affecting transport.
The Egyptian-Qatari initiative for a ceasefire comes as Gaza continues to face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with more than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents displaced, often multiple times. The destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services has left the population in urgent need of food, medical supplies, and shelter. Both Egypt and Qatar are advocating for an immediate halt to the fighting to prevent further loss of life and facilitate aid distribution.

In addition to the Gaza situation, Minister Abdelatty and Tunisian Minister Nafti discussed the ongoing challenges in Libya. Nafti emphasized the need for a Libyan-led political solution to the country’s crisis, which has been marked by division and instability since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The two ministers expressed support for international and United Nations efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful and sovereign resolution to the Libyan conflict, emphasizing the importance of national unity and security.
As Egypt and Qatar intensify their efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza, the international community continues to call for an end to the violence and for increased humanitarian assistance to reach those most affected by the ongoing conflict. The situation remains critical, with millions of innocent lives at risk in Gaza and the broader region.
