Egypt Rallies Support from Nile Upstream States

Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
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Egypt Rallies Support from Nile Upstream States

Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Egypt continues with its strategic approach to enhance its position among Nile Basin countries in particular, and strengthen African relations in general, hoping to rally support for its policies on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it says will affect its share of the Nile waters.

The last three rounds of negotiations did not yield much progress at the level of the negotiations between the downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan) and the upstream state (Ethiopia).

Both Adis Ababa and Khartoum insist on rejecting the preliminary report by a French firm (agreed by the three) on the economic, environmental and social impacts of the dam. Whereas, Cairo announced its acceptance of the report.

The Egyptian steps appeared to have positive effects especially after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, said during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that extended an invitation to Sisi to visit Uganda and become the first Egyptian President to tour the Source of River Nile.

The Egyptian-Ugandan summit discussed the Nile basin issue and joint cooperation, as well as the signing of agreements between the two countries in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, engineering and electricity.

"The two presidents discussed the Nile water issue, and they both agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Nile basin states to achieve sustainable use of the water resources in favor of the common interests of the peoples of upstream and downstream countries," Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement.

The spokesman indicated that President Sisi welcomed the consensus of views of both countries regarding different political issues, hailing the Ugandan president's efforts to reach political settlements for the crises facing the continent and to boost anti-terrorism efforts in Africa.

Egypt has intensified its efforts in the continent, especially in the past two months, and the Foreign Minister toured several countries including Burundi, Kenya and South Sudan, while Cairo received Kenyan President and his Ugandan counterpart.

The Egyptian meetings were not limited to diplomatic talks, but some of them included the launch of development projects provided by Egypt to Burundi within the framework of the programs and projects of support provided by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD) of Foreign Ministry to African countries.



94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid

A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid

A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians in Gaza overnight, including 45 while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, hospitals and the Health Ministry said Thursday.

Israel’s military did not have immediate comment on the strikes, The Associated Press reported.

Five people were killed while outside sites associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population, while 40 others were killed waiting for aid trucks in other locations across the Gaza Strip.

Dozens of people were killed in airstrikes that pounded the Strip Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including 15 people killed in strikes that hit tents in the sprawling Muwasi zone, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering, and a strike on a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 57,000, including 223 missing people who have been declared dead. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count but says that more than half of the dead are women and children.

The deaths come as Israel and Hamas inch closer to a possible ceasefire that would end the 21-month war.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. But Hamas’ response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting.

The Israeli military blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas members and rocket launchers in northern Gaza that launched rockets towards Israel on Wednesday.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of people hungry.