EU’s Borrell to hold meeting with Sisi in Cairo, visit Rafah amid Gaza war

CAIRO – 8 September 2024: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell will make a visit to Egypt on Monday, where he will hold talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and travel to Rafah city, near the border with Gaza.

The visit takes place in light of the war in Gaza, continuing for nearly a year, with Israeli forces killing almost 41,000 people, injuring more than 94,600 others, displacing most of the 2.2 million population, and pushing the enclave to the brink of famine.

During his visit to Rafah, Borrell is expected to inaugurate a European Union-funded project aimed at aiding children from Gaza and their caregivers in Egypt, as stated in an EU announcement on Sunday.

Additionally, Borrell is set to meet with representatives from UN agencies there and the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC).

Given the disastrous humanitarian crisis in Gaza, mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the US to secure a ceasefire and facilitate the release of captives in Gaza will come high on Borrell’s visit agenda.

“The visit takes place against the background of the war in Gaza, where the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the fate of hostages make an urgent ceasefire ever more critical,” said the announcement.

The talks between the Egyptian and European sides will revolve around the EU's role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and examining the regional situation to prevent further escalation.

On Tuesday, Borrell is slated to meet with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, where they will hold a joint press conference. He will also attend an Arab League ministerial meeting in Cairo.

Mediation obstructed

Borrell has been supportive of mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, the US, which have intensified over the past weeks to reach an agreement to halt the war that began on October 7 and facilitate a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas captivated around 250 individuals, including both Israelis and foreign nationals, in an unprecedented attack on Israeli cities.

In November, a prisoner exchange agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US resulted in the release of about 100 Israeli captives in return for around 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Over the past months, Israel succeeded in rescuing eight captives, while Hamas confirmed the deaths of multiple captives due to Israeli airstrikes, including an American and five Israelis on August 31.

The recent deaths of these six captives have triggered widespread protests across Israel, aiming to compel the country to engage in negotiations for a prisoner exchange with Hamas before it is too late.

While dozens of captives are still held in Gaza, Israel has added new conditions for a ceasefire deal, including allowing its troops to resume fighting and maintain a military presence in the enclave, including in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Egypt has strongly opposed Netanyahu's stance, denouncing his claims of weapon smuggling and a high-level source has blamed lack of progress towards a ceasefire agreement on Netanyahu’s intransigence.

Lebanon Visit

Borrell's Middle East tour, scheduled until September 12, will also include a visit to Lebanon amidst escalating tensions and frequent clashes between Israel and Hezbollah amid the Gaza war.

In Lebanon, Borrell plans to engage in discussions with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun to explore the regional impact of the Gaza war and their roles in fostering peace and stability.

In August, Hezbollah announced launching its "first phase" of retaliatory strikes against Israel a few weeks after the killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut by Israeli forces.

During this wave of attacks, Hezbollah stated that it deployed drones and launched hundreds of Katyusha rockets targeting 11 Israeli military installations.

Simultaneously, the Israeli military disclosed that dozens of warplanes conducted operations inside Lebanon upon detecting Hezbollah's preparations to launch rockets towards Israel.

A security source in Lebanon, cited by Reuters, reported around 40 Israeli airstrikes affecting southern regions of the country.

Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas have all vowed retaliation against Israel in response to the killings of Shukr and Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran by Israeli forces in July.