Egypt, EU push for Gaza ceasefire phase two
Cairo, Brussels stress urgency of launching peace oversight mechanism amid worsening humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave
CAIRO, Egypt (MNTV) — Egypt and the European Union have agreed on the urgent necessity of implementing the second phase of the United States-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Egyptian and EU officials.
The issue was discussed during talks in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Both sides stressed the need for the immediate activation of the proposed Gaza Peace Board to oversee the next phase of the process.
Abdelatty said Cairo is engaging with multiple international partners to move forward with the second phase, which is expected to include political, security and humanitarian components.
He added that the United States is expected to soon announce detailed arrangements regarding the peace board and a technocratic Palestinian governing committee.
Under the US-backed framework, the Peace Board would oversee the establishment of a non-partisan Palestinian administration and supervise the disarmament of Hamas.
It would also coordinate the deployment of an international stabilization force, manage further Israeli military withdrawals and guide Gaza’s reconstruction.
Kallas described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “extremely severe,” criticizing Israel’s restrictions on international non-governmental organizations and warning that aid delivery remains impossible at the required scale without their access.
She also condemned Hamas’ continued refusal to disarm, saying both factors are contributing to the ongoing humanitarian deterioration inside the enclave.
Despite the ceasefire taking effect in October, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that more than 400 Palestinians have been killed since then, while the overall death toll from Israel’s military operations since October 2023 has reached at least 71,391 as of January 6.
The first phase of the truce began shortly after the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people. Of the 251 hostages taken during the assault, all but one have since been released, either alive or deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Abdelatty and Kallas also discussed reviving cooperation at the Rafah border crossing, where the European Union previously assisted in facilitating aid deliveries under a 2005 agreement involving Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Egypt’s foreign minister reiterated Cairo’s opposition to any measures that would further fragment Palestinian territories, stressing that Gaza and the occupied West Bank must remain politically unified.
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