Reopening
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and the GCC presidency strongly condemned Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the vital strait.
Meanwhile, he reiterated in a post on Truth Social that no fees would be charged during the 60-day ceasefire period marking the duration of the interim ceasefire deal recently signed with Iran.
The carrier is heading to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as part of a multinational initiative aimed at restoring navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested that a deal would lead to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the remarks during a phone call on Wednesday with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
The announcement, made by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, came after a 40-day closure imposed by Israeli authorities which cited a “state of emergency” amid the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made.”
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social.
Egyptian authorities have prepared to receive another group of wounded and ill Palestinians from Gaza for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, officials said.
The Rafah crossing has reopened on a “trial basis,” Tel Aviv said on Sunday, after Israeli forces has largely blocked this vital gateway since May 2024, depriving scores of Gazans wounded during the Israeli war to leave for treatment.
Egypt is strictly adhering to a “one Palestinian out, one Palestinian in” policy at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, journalist and analyst Osama Al-Dalil said.
The convoy passed through the subsidiary gate of the Rafah border crossing in Egypt’s North Sinai Governorate and is heading toward the Karm Abu Salem crossing for delivery into the enclave.
He described the reopening of the crossing as a significant step, stressing that Gaza is moving toward a “brighter future” and urging broad local and international cooperation.
President Donald Trump and his aides raised the crossing issue as they hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the US on Monday.
Speaking at a Doha Forum panel on global responsibility and pathways to peace in Gaza, Abdelatty said stabilising a ceasefire remains the top priority as a necessary step toward moving to the second phase of the plan.
Hamas said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision constitutes a “flagrant breach” of the ceasefire terms and a “denial of commitments that he made before mediators and guarantors.”
Netanyahu’s office said that the crossing’s reopening “will be under consideration in accordance with the manner in which Hamas implements its part in return of the deceased hostages and implementation of the agreed upon framework.”
Egypt has restated its unwavering position, emphasizing the requirement for Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing as a crucial condition for reopening the crossing.
This discussion comes in the context of Egypt's commitment to ensuring a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the crossing, the source added.
