Egyptian-British discussions on developments in Gaza and Sudan

The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdel Atti, discussed with his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, the developments in Gaza and Sudan. This came during a phone call between the two ministers on Thursday, where they affirmed their commitment to developing bilateral relations and exchanging visits between the two countries, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The statement clarified that Minister Abdel Atti reviewed the latest developments in Gaza and emphasized the "importance of solidifying the Sharm El-Sheikh peace agreement and working towards transitioning to the second phase of U.S. President (Donald) Trump's plan" to end the war in the sector.

On October 9, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his plan for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, following indirect negotiations between the two parties in Sharm El-Sheikh, with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, under U.S. supervision.

The agreement ended an Israeli genocide supported by the U.S., which began on October 8, 2023, and resulted in more than 68,000 Palestinian deaths, over 170,000 injuries, most of whom were children and women, and destruction that affected 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in the sector.

Abdel Atti stressed the necessity of international solidarity to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and to open a genuine political horizon to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for the establishment of their independent state.

He praised the "historic step taken by the United Kingdom to recognize the State of Palestine," which occurred on September 22.

The Egyptian minister also reviewed the ongoing preparations for Egypt to host the international conference for reconstruction and early recovery in Gaza, scheduled to take place in Cairo during November.

He expressed his hope for the United Kingdom's active participation in the conference, "as one of the main participating and sponsoring countries," according to the statement.

He confirmed that the conference "will represent a pivotal step in mobilizing international support for reconstruction efforts in the sector and initiating a new path to support stability in the region."

Egypt seeks to activate a plan adopted by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in March to reconstruct Gaza without displacing Palestinians, which will take five years at a cost of approximately $53 billion.

The United Nations estimates the cost of reconstructing Gaza at about $70 billion, due to the massive destruction caused by the Israeli genocide over two years.

Regarding Sudan, the statement indicated that the two ministers discussed the developments there.

Minister Abdel Atti condemned, according to the statement, "the blatant violations and atrocities that occurred in Al-Fasher," emphasizing the necessity of opening humanitarian corridors to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid.

On October 26, "Rapid Support Forces" seized Al-Fasher and committed massacres against civilians, according to local and international organizations, amid warnings of entrenching a geographical division of the country.

Meanwhile, the commander of the "Rapid Support Forces," Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemeti," acknowledged on October 29 that "excesses" had occurred by his forces in Al-Fasher, claiming to have formed investigation committees.

Abdel Atti reiterated his country's "firm position supporting the unity and stability of Sudan and its national institutions."

The Egyptian minister informed his British counterpart about Egypt's efforts within the Quadruple Mechanism to support the ceasefire and reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

He emphasized the necessity of "coordinating regional and international efforts to reach a comprehensive humanitarian truce with guarantees for the flow of humanitarian and relief aid throughout Sudan to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people."

On Thursday, the "Rapid Support Forces" announced their agreement to "join the humanitarian truce," which they said was proposed by the "Quadruple" countries consisting of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE.

The "Rapid Support Forces" did not provide details about the terms of the truce or its implementation mechanism, nor was there an immediate comment from the "Quadruple" or the Sudanese army.

This new position of the "Rapid Support Forces" came hours after the announcement by the head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, of his insistence on eliminating them.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been witnessing a bloody war between the army and the "Rapid Support Forces," resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of about 13 million people.