AP Exclusive: Egypt's chief diplomat urges Israel and Hamas to enact ceasefire 'without any delay'
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Egypt’s chief diplomat on Thursday called on Israel and Hamas to implement a Gaza ceasefire plan “without any delay,” raising pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the deal. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty delivered the message at a sensitive time in efforts to end a devastating 15-month conflict. A day after U.S. President Joe Biden and other international mediators announced the ceasefire agreement, Netanyahu insisted there still was no deal.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Abdelatty declined to comment on Netanyahu’s claims that Hamas has “reneged” on certain pledges in the agreement. But he said a deal had been reached thanks to “deep involvement” by American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, including officials from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“We have a deal. What’s very important is to start implementation,” Abdelatty said from the foreign ministry's headquarters in The New Administrative Capital, a newly built sprawling city about 28 miles (45 kilometers) east of Cairo that houses government offices.
“What we are doing now is to push for final approval and implementation, without any delay.”. Egypt, which has a peace agreement with Israel and shares a border with Hamas-ruled Gaza, has been a key mediator between the enemies for years and a leading player in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Cairo is supposed to be the location for continued talks between the U.S., Qatar and Egypt on implementing the deal. Abdelatty said the talks were set to begin soon, and that the mediators would have an “operation room” overseeing the deal in the Egyptian capital.
