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Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty. February 23, 2025.

Gaza ceasefire deal in the talks

News Desk
Published Monday, June 30, 2025 - 14:03

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said late Sunday that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have entered a critical phase, with Cairo intensifying diplomatic efforts to halt nearly two years of Israeli offensive that has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians.

Abdelatty confirmed in televised comments that negotiators are working towards an agreement that would initiate a two-month ceasefire in Gaza, with the ambition of progressing to a broader, more stable phase. “A Gaza reconstruction conference will take place within weeks of a ceasefire,” he added, underscoring the diplomatic push for a lasting resolution.

Abdelatty asserted that Israel had breached the January ceasefire agreement and unilaterally resumed attacks on Gaza. He warned that any renewed aggression from Israel after this potential deal would be a “major source of regional instability.”

Addressing Hamas’s involvement, Abdelatty confirmed their active participation in the talks, stating, “Hamas is absolutely present in the negotiations. We’re discussing an exchange deal involving both hostages and Palestinian prisoners.”

He also pointed to a notable shift in US strategy, noting, “There is an American vision focused on Gaza following a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Any future agreement must include guarantees to sustain the truce.”

The Egyptian minister firmly rejected any plans for forced displacement, which were promoted by the Trump administration, declaring, “For us, and for Jordan, such proposals are a red line.” He also affirmed Egypt’s commitment to its peace treaty with Israel, stating, “There is mutual commitment to the peace treaty, as all indications show.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that “freeing hostages” remains Israel’s top priority. Speaking at a Shin Bet facility on Sunday, he asserted that recent operations against Iran had opened up “broad regional possibilities,” as reported by the Times of Israel.

“First and foremost, we must release the hostages,” Netanyahu stated. “Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I believe that we will achieve both tasks.”

Netanyahu reportedly chaired a high-level meeting at the Israeli military’s Southern Command late on Sunday to deliberate on the ceasefire proposal. The session concluded without a definitive resolution, with further talks anticipated on Monday.

A Times of Israel source, identified as an Arab diplomat, indicated that regional mediators Egypt and Qatar expressed hopes for Israel to send a delegation to Cairo for the ongoing discussions.

In an op-ed published Sunday by the Israeli daily Haaretz, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak urged an end to the war on Gaza, the secure return of Israeli captives, and the establishment of a legitimate Palestinian leadership involving the US, Egypt, and Gulf countries.

Barak also advocated for Israeli integration into a “new regional order,” including the normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.

He sharply criticized Israel’s current government as “the worst in the country’s history,” emphasizing the urgent need to renew the struggle against the government with “redoubled determination and without shady compromises” once “the dust of war settles.”

Before the current offensive, Saudi Arabia had engaged in preliminary talks with Israel, mediated by the US, aimed at normalizing relations. These discussions were suspended following the outbreak of fighting in Gaza.

Riyadh has since maintained that normalization talks cannot resume until the war concludes, Israeli forces withdraw from Palestinian territories, and a Palestinian state is established.

On the ground, the Israeli occupation army issued evacuation orders on Sunday to residents across northern Gaza, encompassing Gaza City, Jabalia, and various neighborhoods including Al-Zaytoun, Al-Daraj, and Al-Tuffah. The occupation army urged residents “to evacuate immediately to Al-Mawasi” for their safety.

The Israeli occupation army announced that its operations in these areas would intensify and push westward into central Gaza City, claiming the objective was to destroy what it termed “terrorist infrastructure.”