Egyptian president invites German chancellor to attend signing of Gaza ceasefire deal

By Murat Basoglu and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi invited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday to attend the signing ceremony of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The invitation was extended during a phone call during which the two leaders discussed Cairo’s efforts to end the Israeli war in Gaza.

The first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into force on Friday to end two years of Israeli attacks on Gaza, after mediation from Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, and under US supervision.

Sisi reviewed the details of the ceasefire agreement and mechanisms to implement the next phase of the agreement, a presidency statement said.

He emphasized the importance of “preserving the role and status of the Palestinian Authority and creating conditions conducive for establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with international legitimacy.”

Egypt has not yet announced the date of the signing ceremony, but Sisi expressed his hope on Thursday to host US President Donald Trump in Egypt to attend the ceremony.

Merz, for his part, praised Egypt’s vital role in reaching the deal, affirming Germany’s support for the agreement to serve lasting peace in the region.

The phone call also touched on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Egypt and Germany, as well as Egypt’s ties with the European Union, the statement said.

Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.