According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Abdel-Aati stressed "the importance of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the announcement of the formation of the interim Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the affairs of the Strip, and the formation of the international stabilization force."
On October 10, 2025, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza began, but Israel is delaying the transition to its second phase, citing the continued presence of the remains of an Israeli soldier in the sector.
On Wednesday morning, members of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, resumed search operations in the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, for the remains of the last soldier, Ran Gweili. Abdel-Aati also stressed "the importance of ensuring access for humanitarian aid and creating the climate for early recovery and reconstruction."
He expressed "Egypt's complete rejection of any practices that undermine the geographical unity of the Palestinian territories or affect the organic link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," and Abdel-Aati stressed his country's "categorical rejection of the division of Gaza."
Earlier on Thursday, the Egyptian minister announced, during a press conference with EU foreign policy commissioner Kaia Kallas in Cairo, that his country is moving on all levels to implement the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
On another note, the telephone call with Guterres addressed "developments in the situation in Sudan," as Abdel-Aati stressed "the importance of pushing towards reaching a humanitarian truce leading to a comprehensive ceasefire, preserving Sudan's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and supporting its national institutions."
During the call, Abdel-Aati also touched on "developments in Yemen," and reiterated his country's firm position supporting the unity of Yemen, the integrity of its territory, and the preservation of national state institutions. He stressed the importance of pushing for de-escalation and reducing tensions, and reaching a comprehensive political solution through Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue.
Since last December, military and political confrontations have escalated between the Southern Transitional Council on one side, and the government and the coalition supporting legitimacy on the other.
Regarding the Horn of Africa file, the Egyptian minister explained that “Israel’s unilateral and illegal recognition of the so-called ‘Somaliland region’ on December 26th represents a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, an undermining of the rules of international law, and a dangerous precedent that threatens regional and international peace and security.”
Since declaring its independence in 1991, the region has not received any official recognition and acts as an independent entity administratively, politically and in terms of security, while the central government has been unable to extend its control over it.
Somalia is struggling to recover after decades of conflict, chaos, and natural disasters, in addition to years of fighting against terrorism.
