Egyptian Chief of Staff Praises Role of Army in Restoring Security in Sinai

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
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Egyptian Chief of Staff Praises Role of Army in Restoring Security in Sinai

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, praised the role of the armed forces in restoring stability and security in Sinai.

Askar relayed the “greetings and appreciation” of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki for the “heroic role” the forces have manifested in North Sinai.

The Chief of Staff spoke at the training project (Bashir 22), which is being conducted by armored units of the Second Field Army. It comes within the framework of the annual combat training plan for units of the armed forces.

A military statement noted that Askar discussed the procedures with the commanders and officers to ensure they fully understood and implemented all the tasks assigned to them with high professionalism.

Terrorist attacks of militants affiliated with ISIS decreased in North Sinai after years of persistent army operations.

Al-Sisi has repeatedly declared that cleansing the country of terrorism, and the “development of Sinai, come as top priority for the political leadership.”

The government is setting very ambitious plans for projects in North Sinai.

In 2019, Sisi said the investment of the projects in Sinai is estimated at EGP800 billion.

Egypt hopes the development of Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez and the governorates of North and South Sinai will create an integrated economic cluster and help the region become an attractive location for investment.



Egypt’s Sisi Says It Has Proposed a 2-Day Gaza Ceasefire and Release of 4 Hostages

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the extended format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. (EPA)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the extended format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt’s Sisi Says It Has Proposed a 2-Day Gaza Ceasefire and Release of 4 Hostages

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the extended format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. (EPA)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the extended format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt’s president announced Sunday his country has proposed a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during which four hostages held in Gaza would be freed. There was no immediate response from Israel or Hamas as the latest talks were expected in Qatar, another key mediator.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking in Cairo, said the proposal also includes the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza. It aims to “move the situation forward,” he said, adding that once the two-day ceasefire goes into effect, negotiations would continue to make it permanent.

This is the first time Egypt’s president has publicly proposed such a plan. There hasn’t been a ceasefire since November’s weeklong pause in fighting in the earliest weeks of the war, in which 105 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel’s Mossad chief was traveling to Doha on Sunday for talks with the prime minister of Qatar and the CIA chief in the latest attempt to end the fighting and ease regional tensions that have built since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Those tensions now see Israel at war with both Hamas in Gaza and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and openly attacking Iran, their backer, for the first time this weekend. Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday said the strikes — in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack earlier this month — “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed,” while stopping short of calling for retaliation.

During a government memorial for the Hebrew anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “not every goal can be achieved through only military operations," adding that “painful compromises will be required” to return the hostages.

At the same event, protesters disrupted a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shouting “Shame on you." Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the failures that led to the’ attack and hold him responsible for not yet bringing home remaining hostages.