President Sisi starts Gulf tour with Qatar visit; Gaza ceasefire high on agenda

CAIRO – 13 April 2025: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Qatar on Saturday, as the first stop of a two-leg Gulf tour that also includes Kuwait. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received the president upon his arrival at Hamad International Airport in Doha.

The two leaders is set to discuss enhancing bilateral relations across various fields, as well as regional developments. Notably, they will address efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

These discussions come as Egypt and Qatar, acting as Arab mediators in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, intensify their efforts to end the prolonged war in Gaza.

Egypt recently unveiled a new proposal aimed at restoring calm, facilitating humanitarian aid delivery, and enabling a prisoner swap.

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On the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Representatives of the Ministerial Committee on Gaza of the League of Arab States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a joint communique,…

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty stated last week that the Egyptian proposal “would allow the residents of Gaza to catch their breath after this fierce war targeting civilian women and children, who are absolutely not to blame.”

Additionally, Egypt is leading an Arab initiative for the early recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by over 18 months of war, while ensuring that residents can remain on their land.

This Arab effort counters a US-Israeli scheme to displace Palestinians from Gaza, particularly to Egypt and Jordan, a proposal that both Arab countries have roundly rejected.

Egypt and Qatar, alongside the US, successfully brokered a ceasefire in Gaza last January, which allowed the entry of thousands of humanitarian aid trucks and the release of dozens of Israeli captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians.

However, Israel violated the ceasefire in mid-March, killing more than 1,500 Palestinians since then, many of whom are women and children. The latest fatalities bring the total death toll since the war began in October 2023 to nearly 51,000.

Israeli forces announced on Saturday that they have fully encircled Rafah in Gaza as part of their strategy to expand control over the Strip#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/fyGgft1da9

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Mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the US also halted the war for nearly a week in November 2023, allowing for the release of more than 100 captives in Gaza in exchange for over 200 Palestinian prisoners.

Sisi’s visit to Doha will also include talks with representatives of the Qatari business community to explore opportunities for economic cooperation, the presidency added.

In Kuwait, Sisi will meet with Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Acting Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah.

The president’s visit to Kuwait underscores the strong strategic relations between the two countries and reflects their mutual commitment to expanding economic cooperation and investment, said the presidency.