German-made Frigate Joins Egyptian Navy Fleet

A snapshot of the newly received MEKO A-200 frigate named (Al-Aziz) by the Egyptian Navy on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Courtesy of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman's Facebook page.
A snapshot of the newly received MEKO A-200 frigate named (Al-Aziz) by the Egyptian Navy on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Courtesy of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman's Facebook page.
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German-made Frigate Joins Egyptian Navy Fleet

A snapshot of the newly received MEKO A-200 frigate named (Al-Aziz) by the Egyptian Navy on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Courtesy of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman's Facebook page.
A snapshot of the newly received MEKO A-200 frigate named (Al-Aziz) by the Egyptian Navy on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Courtesy of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman's Facebook page.

The Egyptian naval forces received Sunday a new German-made MEKO-A200 frigate at a base in the coastal province of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said in a statement.

Built by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the frigate delivery procedures were completed in Bremerhaven, Germany.

The Commander of the Northern Military Region and several Naval Forces commanders and students at the Naval College attended the reception ceremony.

The Commander of the Egyptian Naval Forces, Lieutenant General Ashraf Atwa, stressed the highest degrees of excellence in the combat system and modern technology of the frigate.

The Al-Qadir frigate represents a significant technological addition with immense combat capabilities to the Navy's potential, said the spokesperson for the Egyptian Armed Forces.

He added that the frigate possesses numerous advanced technical features and armament systems that enable it to efficiently and effectively carry out all combat missions, thus supporting the Navy's combat capabilities.

The spokesperson emphasized that the frigate will enter active duty in the Egyptian Navy, contributing to the ability to face challenges, mitigate risks, and ensure complete control over Egypt's extended coastlines in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

In a traditional maritime ceremony, many naval vessels and helicopters participated in a naval parade off the coast of Alexandria, celebrating the arrival of the Al-Qadir frigate.



Sweden Will No Longer Fund UNRWA Aid Agency

FILE - Israeli soldiers take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarter where the military discovered tunnels underneath of the UN agency that the military says Hamas militants used to attack its forces during a ground operation in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
FILE - Israeli soldiers take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarter where the military discovered tunnels underneath of the UN agency that the military says Hamas militants used to attack its forces during a ground operation in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
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Sweden Will No Longer Fund UNRWA Aid Agency

FILE - Israeli soldiers take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarter where the military discovered tunnels underneath of the UN agency that the military says Hamas militants used to attack its forces during a ground operation in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
FILE - Israeli soldiers take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarter where the military discovered tunnels underneath of the UN agency that the military says Hamas militants used to attack its forces during a ground operation in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

Sweden will no longer fund the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) but instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Nordic country's aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, told Swedish broadcaster TV4 on Friday.
Israel, which will ban UNRWA's operations in the country from late January, has repeatedly accused the agency of being involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Sweden's decision to end funding for UNRWA was in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channelling aid to the Palestinians via the agency more difficult, Dousa said.
Sweden plans to increase its overall humanitarian assistance to Gaza next year, he added.
"There are several other organisations in Gaza, I have just been there and met several of them," the minister said, naming the UN World Food Program as one potential recipient.
The United Nations General Assembly threw its support behind UNRWA this month, demanding that Israel respect the agency's mandate and "enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction".