Egypt, Korea Agree to Establish Political, Economic Partnership

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Korea Agree to Establish Political, Economic Partnership

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and South Korea agreed on Thursday to establish an economic and political partnership within an integrated strategic framework for the various aspects and fields of cooperation.

This came during the meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

Egypt is proud of the deep ties with South Korea, Sisi told a joint press conference, calling for activating comprehensive bilateral partnership that would serve the interests of both peoples.

He underlined the importance of holding political consultation and strategic dialogue to push forward bilateral cooperation.

Sisi said Egypt looks forward to attract Korean firms to invest in the country and is willing to facilitate their work in the fields of energy, mining, information technology, artificial intelligence.

The visit comes in light of the mutual keenness to hold talks and exchange visions and views on various topics and issues of common concern.

Jae-in, for his part, said his visit to Egypt is special, saying it's the first visit by a South Korean president to Egypt in 16 years.

He underscored the need to establish a comprehensive bilateral partnership that would bring benefits to the two peoples and promote sustainable cooperation in the future.

He said he agreed with Sisi to expand the horizons of economic cooperation, and decided to boost the value of sustainable partnership by allocating $1 billion in the Economic Development Cooperation Fund and work together to exchange development policies and promote innovation.

Seoul will cooperate with Cairo to convince the international community to respond to the climate change issue, Jae-in affirmed, adding that they agreed to bolster cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and eco-friendly infrastructure.



Palestinian TV Says Israeli Strike Kills 5 Journalists in Gaza

A destroyed press vehicle near Al Awda hospital following an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 26 December 2024. (EPA)
A destroyed press vehicle near Al Awda hospital following an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 26 December 2024. (EPA)
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Palestinian TV Says Israeli Strike Kills 5 Journalists in Gaza

A destroyed press vehicle near Al Awda hospital following an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 26 December 2024. (EPA)
A destroyed press vehicle near Al Awda hospital following an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 26 December 2024. (EPA)

A Palestinian TV channel affiliated with an armed group said five of its journalists were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike on their vehicle in Gaza, with Israel's military saying it had targeted a "terrorist cell".

A missile hit the journalists' broadcast truck as it was parked in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a statement from their employer, Al-Quds Today.

It is affiliated with Islamic Jihad, whose fighters have fought alongside Hamas in the Gaza Strip and took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.

The channel identified the five staffers as Faisal Abu Al-Qumsan, Ayman Al-Jadi, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Khalil, Fadi Hassouna and Mohammed Al-Lada'a.

They were killed "while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty", the statement said.

"We affirm our commitment to continue our resistant media message," it added.

The Israeli military said in its own statement that it had conducted "a precise strike on a vehicle with an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell inside in the area of Nuseirat".

It added that "prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians".

According to witnesses in Nuseirat, a missile fired by an Israeli aircraft hit the broadcast vehicle, which was parked outside Al-Awda Hospital, setting the vehicle on fire and killing those inside.

The Committee to Protect Journalists' Middle East arm said the organization was "devastated by the reports that five journalists and media workers were killed inside their broadcasting vehicle by an Israeli strike".

"Journalists are civilians and must always be protected," it added in a statement on social media.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said last week that more than 190 journalists had been killed and at least 400 injured since the start of the war in Gaza.

It was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7 attack last year, which resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 45,361 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.