AP: Egypt Reasserts Itself as Indispensable Mediator in Region

On Thursday, the Associated Press (AP) shed the light on Egypt's successful initiative of setting a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

The agency said: "Egypt on Thursday reasserted itself as an indispensable mediator in the Middle East after it successfully brokered a cease-fire deal in the short but costly Israel-Hamas war that killed scores of people and caused much destruction in the Gaza Strip."

Next, it highlighted the state's role in easing the fight between Palestine and Israel in four different fights between both sides. "Egypt has served as a mediator between Israel and Gaza’s ruling militant Hamas group, which have fought four wars in just over a decade. Egypt borders both Israel and the Gaza Strip, and has been a key player since Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005 and Hamas seized the territory in 2007," the agency asserted.

AP cited Michael Hanna, the U.S. program director at the International Crisis Group, saying: "By virtue of geography and its ties to all parties, Egypt is unique in this matter." He added: "And of course, it seeks to demonstrate its regional relevance and influence to all parties concerned, including the United States."

Cairo efforts succeeded in setting a ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, an Egyptian state-owned TV channel announced. The ceasefire will come into force at 2 am, Friday morning.

On the other hand, the Israeli authorities accepted the unconditional ceasefire initiative handled by Egypt, the Israeli government announced in an official statement.

Therefore, Cairo will send two security delegations to the Palestinian and Israeli sides to observe the implementation of the ceasefire and examine further measures for obtaining stability between both states.

On Wednesday, A high-level Egyptian delegation made a visit to Ramallah city in the central West Bank amid Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, highlighting Egypt’s efforts to bring about a ceasefire, Al-Arabiya cited sources.

The delegation met with prominent Palestinian officials and conveyed a message from the Egyptian leadership underscoring the country’s efforts to affect an Israel-Gaza ceasefire, the sources said.

The delegation affirmed Cairo’s readiness to support Palestine in various fields, according to the sources.

It discussed with officials the reconstruction process as well as efforts to facilitate the transfer of inured Palestinians through the Rafah border crossing.