Egypt, France explore ways to reach Gaza cease-fire

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – The foreign ministers of Egypt and France held talks in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss efforts to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The discussions between Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne explored ways of resolving the crisis in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It did not, however, provide any further details.

Sejourne arrived in Cairo early Wednesday for an unplanned visit amid reports of a possible cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel to end the conflict in Gaza.

Egypt's state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing an informed source, said that talks were ongoing with all relevant parties to resolve conflicting points between Israel and Hamas.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have taken place in both Cairo and Doha aimed at reaching a deal that includes a prisoner swap, under which Israeli captives would be released in exchange for the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails.

Tel Aviv believes that over 130 Israelis are being held in Gaza, while Israel is holding around 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel gave Hamas a "generous" offer to release the Israeli captives, which could potentially lead to a cease-fire in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to invade Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, with or without a cease-fire deal with Hamas.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 77,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul