Ceasefire negotiations in Gaza: Egypt and Qatar's joint initiative

Egypt's foreign minister announced on Wednesday that the country is collaborating with Qatar to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which would facilitate the delivery of aid to the severely affected Palestinian area.

Badr Abdelatty made this statement following discussions with Tunisian foreign minister Mohamed Ali Nafti in Cairo.

"Certainly, at the heart of the Arab cause was, most importantly, the Palestinian cause and the catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip and the efforts made by Egypt in cooperation with sisterly Qatar to quickly reach an agreement stipulating an immediate cessation of the Israeli aggression, a ceasefire, and full and unconditional access to aid to the Gaza Strip, " he said.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s airstrikes and ground operations have resulted in the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians, with more than half being women and children.

The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its figures.

As winter brings cold and wet conditions, hundreds of thousands are crammed into tent camps along the coast.

Aid organizations are facing challenges in delivering food and supplies, reporting shortages of blankets, warm clothing, and firewood.

Israel has increased the volume of aid entering the region, averaging 130 trucks daily this month, compared to about 70 per day in October and November.

However, this amount is still significantly lower than in previous months, and the United Nations reports that it cannot distribute more than half of the aid due to restrictions imposed by Israeli forces or rampant theft and lawlessness affecting transport.

In Cairo, Tunisia’s Nafti also mentioned that he and Abdelatty discussed the importance of reaching an agreement to ensure Libya's unity.

"The importance of the brothers in Libya reaching a Libyan-Libyan consensus that paves the way for reaching a settlement that preserves Libya’s sovereignty, guarantees its unity, and achieves its security and stability, and to support all sincere international and UN efforts that are aimed in this direction," he said.

The military actions have led to extensive destruction and displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, often multiple times.