Egypt and Türkiye Agree on Regional Issues, Pledge to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt and Türkiye Agree on Regional Issues, Pledge to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)

Egypt and Türkiye reiterated their commitment to boosting bilateral relations and coordinating closely on key regional issues, including securing a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, ending hostilities in Sudan, stabilizing the Horn of Africa, supporting political processes in Libya and Syria, and combatting terrorism.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received in Ankara on Tuesday his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.

Fidan stressed the importance of Egyptian-Turkish cooperation, stating: “Collaboration between Türkiye and Egypt is essential. Our partnership will contribute to the prosperity of our peoples and the stability of the region.”

He added: “We are working closely with Egypt to end the conflict in Sudan before Ramadan. We also share a common vision on ensuring Libya’s stability and are in discussions about fostering peace in the Horn of Africa.”

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Abdelatty described his talks with Fidan as extensive and constructive, particularly regarding Sudan, where both sides agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire, the priority of a political solution, preserving the country’s sovereignty and supporting efforts to restore stability and peace.

He briefed Fidan on his recent visits to Port Sudan and Egypt’s ongoing efforts to safeguard Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity.

Discussions also covered developments in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, with both ministers stressing their commitment to preserving Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Fidan briefed Abdelatty on Türkiye’s latest mediation efforts between Somalia and Ethiopia, hoping the negotiations between the two countries would resume this month in a way that supports Somalia’s stability and territorial integrity.

The talks also addressed water security, which Abdelatty described as an existential issue for Egypt.

He emphasized Egypt’s strong desire to deepen cooperation with Türkiye, expand bilateral ties and contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East. “We will continue working together in ways that serve the interests of our two nations and promote security and stability in the region and across Africa,” he stated.

He also announced ongoing preparations for the second meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council between Egypt and Türkiye, following its inaugural meeting during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s visit to Ankara on September 4. The next meeting is set to take place during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt next year.

Abdelatty and Fidan also discussed energy and tourism cooperation, with the Egyptian FM highlighting a notable increase in tourism between their countries.

At the conclusion of the visit, Egypt and Türkiye issued a joint statement, underscoring their commitment to strategic cooperation and addressing bilateral relations and regional issues of mutual interest.

The statement emphasized both countries’ endeavor to improving the investment climate for private sector investors and pledged to increase trade volume to $15 billion through enhanced economic and industrial cooperation.

Both nations welcomed the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, commending the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States. They also reiterated their commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the agreement.

Furthermore, the two ministers underscored the importance of maintaining the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), emphasizing that its role in supporting Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories is indispensable. They urged Israel to reverse any measures that undermine UNRWA’s operations.



One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

The Israeli military said its forces killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank in the early hours on Thursday as they opened fire on people who were throwing stones at soldiers.

Two other people were hit on a main ‌road near the ‌village of Luban ‌al-Sharqiya ⁠in Nablus, ‌the military statement added. It described the people as militants and said the stone-throwing was part of an ambush.

Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said ⁠a 26-year-old man they named as ‌Khattab Al Sarhan was ‍killed and ‍another person wounded.

Israeli forces had ‍closed the main entrance to the village of Luban al-Sharqiya, in Nablus, and blocked several secondary roads on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported.

More ⁠than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 2023 and October 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, the UN has said.

Over the same period, 57 Israelis were killed ‌in Palestinian attacks.


UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.

"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used ‌by UNRWA ‌is inviolable," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the ‌secretary-general, ⁠said while ‌adding that UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.

In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in ⁠the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.

As a ‌result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, ‍which the UN considers territory occupied ‍by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part ‍of the country.

The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to ⁠be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including healthcare. They said one in ‌three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.


Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

Israel said on Thursday that 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza had not complied with a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards," in particular disclosing information on their Palestinian staff, and that it "will enforce" a ban on their activities. 

The groups will now be required to cease their operations by March 1, which the United Nations has warned will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. 

"Organizations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement on Thursday. 

Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence, while Israel has faced international criticism in the run-up to the deadline. 

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. 

"The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures," the ministry said. 

In March, Israel gave a ten-month deadline to NGOs to comply with the new rules, which demand the "full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures." 

The deadline expired on Wednesday. 

The 37 NGOs "were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1, 2026, and that they must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1, 2026," the ministry said Thursday. 

- 'Weaponization of bureaucracy' - 

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said: "The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome - the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not." 

Numerous prominent humanitarian organizations have been hit by the ban, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to the list provided by the ministry. 

In the case of MSF, Israel accused it of having two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 

MSF said earlier this week that the request to share a list of its staff "may be in violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law" and said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity". 

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying "the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality." 

"This weaponization of bureaucracy institutionalizes barriers to aid and forces vital organizations to suspend operations," they said. 

On Wednesday, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course. 

"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza," he said. 

UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said the move sets a "dangerous precedent". 

"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organizations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X. 

- 'Catastrophic' - 

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic". 

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. 

Conditions for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with nearly 80 percent of buildings destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data. 

About 1.5 million of Gaza's more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.