Egypt Stresses Importance of Maintaining Somalia’s Security, Stability

A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Stresses Importance of Maintaining Somalia’s Security, Stability

A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt on Sunday emphasized the importance of achieving security, stability, and peace in Somalia as a fundamental pillar for security and stability in the entire region.

Cairo also affirmed its full support for Mogadishu.

Last January, Egypt emphasized the necessity of full respect for the unity and sovereignty of Somalia over its lands, expressing its full rejection to any measures that would undermine Somalia's sovereignty.

This came after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland that would give Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea, a key waterway for global trade. In return, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland's independence.

Mogadishu had rejected the MoU, saying it violates its sovereignty.

On Sunday, Egypt reiterated its support for Somalia’s stability during a meeting held between its Prime Minister, Moustafa Madbouly, and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt.

The PM affirmed Egypt’s full support for Somalia in light of close historical relations between the two sides.

Madbouly asked the ambassador to convey his greetings to the Somali Prime Minister and expressed his desire to strengthen joint cooperation between the two nations.

For his part, Abu Bakr praised the cooperation he received from Egyptian state institutions and emphasized Somalia’s aspiration for continued Egyptian support, particularly in light of the political and security challenges the country faces.

The Arab League had also rejected the MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland and affirmed its support for Somalia’s sovereignty.

Somaliland is a former British colony that declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but was not recognized by the international community.

Last January, the MoU faced international opposition. The US, the EU and the UK urged parties to respect Somali sovereignty.

The Somali Ambassador on Sunday expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian political leadership’s support in achieving stability in Somalia.



Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

At least eight Palestinians, most of them children, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, local officials said.

The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall "dozens of meters from the target".

"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians," it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review.

The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital.

Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centers where they can fill up their plastic containers.

Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, Palestinian media reported. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.

Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that more than 58,000 people had been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, with 139 people added to the death toll over the past 24 hours.

Negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire appeared to be deadlocked, with the two sides divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources said at the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene ministers late on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the talks, an Israeli official said.

The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are being held in Doha, but optimism that surfaced last week of a looming deal has largely faded, with both sides accusing each other of intransigence.

Netanyahu in a video he posted on Telegram on Sunday said Israel would not back down from its core demands - releasing all the hostages still in Gaza, destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.