UPDATED: Egypt’s president discusses Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire efforts with CIA director in Cairo meeting

CAIRO – 31 October 2024: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns engaged in discussions regarding efforts to secure ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon during a meeting in Cairo on Thursday.

The talks also addressed escalating tensions across the region, with the Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS), Hassan Rashad, in attendance.

Sisi and Burns discussed avenues to advance negotiations towards achieving ceasefire agreements and facilitating a prisoner exchange in Gaza.

They meeting also highlighted the urgent need for immediate and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid, given the worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

The president highlighted the crucial role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and stressed the importance of not impeding its operations.

Moreover, Sisi underscored the significance of implementing a two-state solution as the pathway to attaining peace and security in the region.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Burns' visit to Cairo on Thursday to address Gaza ceasefire efforts and the release of captives held in the enclave.

Meanwhile, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, along with other US officials, are scheduled to visit Israel today to discuss ceasefire negotiations and the situations in Gaza and Lebanon, as per Jean-Pierre.

She expressed concern over the recent actions of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) banning UNRWA, stating that the US administration finds this development deeply troubling.

Jean-Pierre called on the Israeli government to ensure the effective functioning of the UN agency to facilitate humanitarian aid.

LEBANON CEASEFIRE

During their meeting, Sisi stressed to Burns the critical need for a ceasefire in Lebanon to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, stability, and the security of its people.

The president cautioned against the risks of continued regional escalation, underscoring the severe consequences it could have on all peoples of the region.

The meeting highlighted the strong and enduring strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States, with both sides expressing their commitment to further enhancing this partnership to uphold regional security and stability.

أكد رئيس الحكومة #نجيب_ميقاتي، ان العدوان الإسرائيلي على لبنان ليست له حدود وهدفه التدمير والقتل، مقدما التعازي لكافة أهالي الشهداء في لبنان جراء العدوان الإسرائيلي ومتمنيا الشفاء العاجل للجرحى.
وقال في حديث الى قناة الجديد" مع الزميل جورج صليبي قال: اتصلتُ بالرئيس الفرنسي… pic.twitter.com/RCqF046ZAF

— رئاسة مجلس الوزراء 🇱🇧 (@grandserail) October 30, 2024

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday expressed hope about a possible ceasefire deal with Israel within days shortly after Israel's public broadcaster Kan published a “leaked” proposal for an initial 60-day truce.

The document, which Kan says is written by Washington, stipulates that Israel will withdraw its forces from the Lebanese territories within the first week of ceasefire, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar to the matter.

"We are doing everything we can and we should remain optimistic that in the coming hours or days, we will have a ceasefire," Mikati told Lebanon's Al Jadeed television.

The Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which started in October 2023 with the commencement of the Gaza war but has intensified in recent weeks, have killed 2,822 people, according to tally provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

Also, over 1.2 million people have been displaced across the country amid Israeli evacuation warnings.

REVIVED MEDIATION

Back to the war in Gaza, Egypt, along with the United States and Qatar, is actively mediating between Hamas and Israel to end the Gaza war that has continued for 13 months and facilitate the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.

In a recent initiative, Egypt is proposing a two-day ceasefire in Gaza to enable the exchange of four Israeli captives for "some" Palestinian prisoners, as disclosed by President Sisi this week.

During a press conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Egypt on Sunday, Sisi outlined the proposal, which includes negotiations within 10 days from implementation to achieve a “full ceasefire” and facilitate aid delivery.

“Our brethren in the Strip are enduring a severe siege that verges on famine, and it is crucial that aid enters as fast as possible,” stated Sisi.

Egypt, Qatar, and the US have spearheaded mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas since the war began on October 7, 2023.

In November, a prisoner swap deal facilitated by the three countries led to the release of around 100 Israeli captives in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israeli attacks in recent months have resulted in the reported deaths of many of the around 100 captives still held in Gaza, while Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu is adhering to the war objective of returning the captives safely.

On 1 September, the Israeli army asserted that they have recovered the bodies of six captives from tunnels under the enclave, including 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American captive.

Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed 43,163 Palestinians, injured over 101,500 others, according to the health ministry in Gaza on Wednesday. The war also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.