During two separate meetings with his Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon, and European Council President António Costa, Abdel Aty stressed the need for concerted regional and international efforts to achieve an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and ensure full and unconditional access to humanitarian, relief, and medical aid, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Abdel-Ati met with European officials as part of his current visit to Slovenia to participate in the 20th session of the Bled Strategic Forum.
The Egyptian minister stressed "the importance of the international community, particularly the European Union, fulfilling its responsibilities to pressure Israel to lift restrictions on the entry of aid and respond to the proposed ceasefire without unreasonable conditions."
In his meeting with the President of the European Council, Abdel Ati emphasized the importance of "pressuring the Israeli side to accept the proposed ceasefire, end aid, and stop its adherence to impossible conditions." He expressed his "hope that the European Union will take effective steps to put an end to Israeli crimes and compel it to adhere to international law and international humanitarian law."
The Egyptian foreign minister did not mention the impossible conditions proposed by Israel. However, in late August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, proposed five conditions for ending the war, including the disarmament of Hamas, a demand the Palestinian movement has repeatedly rejected.
About two weeks ago, Qatar and Egypt proposed a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas accepted. Israel has yet to respond to the Gaza truce proposal, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirmed Tuesday. Al-Ansari revealed contacts to resume negotiations and exchange ideas, without elaborating on their nature.
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Al-Ansari said during a press conference in Doha that "mediators are conducting contacts to reach a different model for indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," noting that contacts are ongoing with the parties to the conflict and regional actors.
Tel Aviv estimates there are 48 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,800 Palestinians are languishing in Israeli prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Many of these Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The Israeli genocide left 63,633 Palestinians dead, 160,914 injured, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that killed 361 Palestinians, including 130 children.
