Lara Villalón Istanbul

Istanbul

Updated Wednesday, February 14, 2024-18:16

  • Diplomacy The CIA, Mossad and Qatar meet in Egypt to reactivate the truce progress in Gaza

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Egypt is accelerating diplomatic contacts with countries in the region in the face of the

imminent Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah

, where one and a half million Palestinian refugees from Gaza live overcrowded. Talks for a new truce proposal with Qatar, the US and Israel came to a standstill last Tuesday, while Egypt increases its military deployment on its border with Rafah.

Cairo fears that the offensive

will drive thousands of Palestinians towards its border

and a consensus will be reached

to welcome the displaced population

, which is why it has threatened to break an important security treaty with Israel. Given this situation,

the Egyptian president

,

Abdel Fattah El Sisi

, received this Wednesday another regional leader,

his Turkish counterpart

,

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

, to discuss

how to stop the humanitarian catastrophe

in the Gaza Strip.

To know more

War in Gaza.

Why is the Middle East so important for Europe and the US?

  • Editor: ROSA MENESES (Special Envoy) Beirut

Why is the Middle East so important for Europe and the US?

Since the start of the war, Turkey has mediated to take in 700 patients from Gaza - among them terminal cancer patients - which it has transferred to the country with the help of Egypt. "The depopulation of Gaza is unacceptable," Erdogan denounced in a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart. "Our priority is to establish a ceasefire as soon as possible to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza without any obstacles," he said.

For his part, El Sisi has condemned the Israeli blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and has

reiterated the importance of reaching a truce agreement

. "Only in this way can we continue with a peace process in the region that leads to the recognition of the Palestinian State." Both leaders stressed the importance of increasing cooperation to achieve regional stability.

"Our solidarity with Egypt will continue. The international community

cannot allow this madness to end in genocide

," Erdogan warned, alluding to the imminent Israeli attack on Rafah. While Turkey has condemned the Israeli offensive and called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "genocidal", Ankara has not participated in mediating a ceasefire. However, it is one of the most active countries in the region in sending humanitarian aid.

This is Erdogan's first visit to Egypt after a decade of diplomatic distancing, initiated by Ankara's support for the Arab Spring protests. After appointing ambassadors again and resuming diplomatic contact in 2021, both governments seek to increase bilateral trade to fifteen billion dollars.

Egypt would also be interested in acquiring the Turkish-made drones that have been a military success in Ukraine, Azerbaijan or Libya. "It is important that Egypt has these technologies. We have an agreement to provide unmanned aerial vehicles and other technologies (to Egypt)," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a few days ago.