Egypt and Qatar are intensifying efforts to revive stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, amid mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, had arrived in Cairo for fresh negotiations. A Hamas delegation has also held parallel talks with both countries’ officials in hopes of restarting dialogue.
Speaking alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at a press briefing near the Rafah crossing, Abdelatty said mediators were applying “maximum pressure” on both parties to accept a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which negotiations on a permanent end to the war would take place. He added that mediators were willing to consider a comprehensive deal involving the release of all hostages in exchange for an end to the conflict — a departure from earlier phased release frameworks.
The urgency comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry reports more than 62,000 deaths since Israel launched its offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw over 200 hostages taken. Despite months of talks, previous ceasefire attempts have repeatedly collapsed over disagreements on sequencing, hostages, and guarantees for an end to the war.
Abdelatty also issued one of Egypt’s strongest rejections yet of Israeli proposals to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, warning that such moves would amount to forcible expulsion. “Egypt won’t take part, and won’t allow any plans for mass relocation,” he said, urging countries reportedly in talks with Israel about resettlement schemes “not to be involved in this heinous crime.” Egypt and other Arab states fear that large-scale displacement could permanently derail the Palestinian struggle for statehood and destabilize the wider region.
