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Cairo, Prague to Boost Water Cooperation

A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Cairo, Prague to Boost Water Cooperation

A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam has met the Czech ambassador to Egypt, Ivan Gokl, to discuss bilateral cooperation in water resources.

The Egyptian minister hailed the “constructive cooperation between Egypt and Czechia in the past years”, according to an Egyptian cabinet statement on Thursday.

He further affirmed the “country’s wish for this cooperation to continue and be reinforced in the coming period”.

For his part, the ambassador noted that his country is keen to cooperate with Cairo in all fields, including water resources.

Egypt suffers a deficit in water resources with an estimated need of 114 billion cubic meters, while the resources total 74 billion cubic meters, according to official data.

The Egyptian government seeks to diversify water resources through seawater desalination and consumption rationalization to fight the water scarcity risks.

The Egyptian minister and the Czech ambassador discussed the transfer of Czech expertise to the Egyptians in manufacturing pump units’ spare parts as well as the construction of a maintenance center to carry out urgent maintenance of the pump units in cooperation with the Czech side.

They also touched on the coordination in the research field through the National Water Research Center (affiliated with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation) and the Czech universities and research centers.

The aspects of coordination include water treatment, desalination, modern and smart irrigation, and studies to enhance the efficiency of pumps and cooling systems, in addition to the Czech offering training courses for the experts at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the National Water Research Center.

For his part, Sweilam showcased on Thursday his country’s efforts to put the water issue at the core of international climate action through the fifth edition of Cairo Water Week and COP27.

He further called on Czechia to support the Action on Water, Adaptation, and Resilience (AWARe) international initiative, which was launched by Egypt during COP27 in Sharm Sheikh.

Egypt relies on the Nile River in securing 97 percent of its water resources. The country’s annual share of the Nile River is 55.5 billion cubic meters.

There is an ongoing dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia because of the Renaissance Dam which Ethiopia built on the main tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears that the GERD will have a negative impact on the country's water supply.

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Arab World

Israeli Strikes Kill 12 People in Gaza, Keep up Pressure on North

Family members mourn next to the bodies of their loved ones at Nasser Hospital following an Israeli airstrike that claimed the lives of at least eight people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
Family members mourn next to the bodies of their loved ones at Nasser Hospital following an Israeli airstrike that claimed the lives of at least eight people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 12 People in Gaza, Keep up Pressure on North

Family members mourn next to the bodies of their loved ones at Nasser Hospital following an Israeli airstrike that claimed the lives of at least eight people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
Family members mourn next to the bodies of their loved ones at Nasser Hospital following an Israeli airstrike that claimed the lives of at least eight people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 03 November 2024. (EPA)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday and residents said they feared new air and ground attacks and forced evacuations were aimed at emptying areas in the enclave's north to create buffer zones against Hamas fighters.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said Israel was scaling back the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza, compounding shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies.

Israel denied this. But it said separately on Monday it had officially notified the United Nations that it was ending its relations with UNRWA, which has been a vital provider of aid to Palestinian civilians during the 13-month-long war between Israel and Hamas.

In the latest bloodshed, medics said seven people were killed in an attack on two houses in the north Gaza town of Beit Lahia on Monday. Five more were killed in separate strikes in central and southern parts of the enclave, medics told Reuters.

Several people were wounded in the attacks, they said, adding that Israeli forces had sent tanks into the northeast of Nuseirat camp earlier on Monday.

Israel deployed tanks into Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia on Oct. 5, saying it intended to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces were continuing to bomb the Kamal Adwan Hospital and had injured many staff and patients.

"The medical staff cannot move between the hospital departments and cannot rescue their injured colleagues. It seems that a decision has been made to execute all the staff who refused to evacuate the hospital," it said.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on that situation.

Palestinians said the new offensives and orders for people to leave were "ethnic cleansing" aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is combating Hamas fighters who launch attacks from there.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the number of Palestinians killed since Oct. 5 at 1,800. It said 4,000 others were wounded.

There was no confirmation on the figure from the territory's health ministry and Israel has repeatedly accused the Hamas media office of exaggerating the figures of the dead.

Israel says its forces have killed hundreds of Palestinian gunmen and dismantled military infrastructure in Jabalia in the past month.

More than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of war in Gaza, according to Gaza authorities, and much of the territory has been reduced to ruins.

The war erupted after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

'UNSPEAKABLE SUFFERING'

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that Israel has scaled back the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip to an average of 30 trucks a day, the lowest in a long time. This represented only 6 percent of the commercial and humanitarian supplies that used to enter Gaza before the war, he said.

"This cannot meet the needs of 2 million people, many of whom are starving, sick, and in desperate conditions," Lazzarini said on X.

An Israeli government spokesman said no limit had been imposed on aid entering Gaza, with 47 aid trucks entering northern Gaza on Sunday alone.

Israeli statistics reviewed by Reuters last week showed that aid shipments allowed into Gaza in October remained at their lowest levels since October 2023.

Earlier on Monday, Israel's foreign ministry said it had officially notified the United Nations it was cancelling the agreement that regulated its relations with UNRWA since 1967 - effectively banning it.

"Restricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling UNRWA will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering," Lazzarini said.