Egypt, Cyprus Agree to Strengthen Military Cooperation

Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed forces. (Egypt’s military spokesperson)
Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed forces. (Egypt’s military spokesperson)
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Egypt, Cyprus Agree to Strengthen Military Cooperation

Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed forces. (Egypt’s military spokesperson)
Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed forces. (Egypt’s military spokesperson)

Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, concluded on Saturday an official visit to Cyprus, where he discussed the means to consolidate military cooperation.

The military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces said that Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in the presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed forces.

In a statement, the spokesman said that the Cypriot president praised the relations with Egypt and the convergence of views between the two countries, especially with regard to the development of bilateral military cooperation.

Anastasiades praised Egypt's influential and effective role, which he said aims to achieve security and stability in the Middle East and the region.

The Egyptian military spokesman said that Askar met with Charalambos Petrides, Minister of Defense of Cyprus. He stressed to him “the need to continue coordination between Egypt and Cyprus to achieve more cooperation in the defense and security fields, joint exercises, and exchange of experiences between the two countries’ armed forces.”

Petrides, for his part, pointed to the “importance of coordination and joint action to face challenges, in order to achieve stability in the region.”

The visit saw a session of talks between the Egyptian and Cypriot delegations, which touched on a number of issues of common interest.



Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as the conflict raged into a 16th month with no end in sight.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians, said The Associated Press.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza. Israeli authorities believe at least a third of them were killed in the initial attack or have died in captivity.
The war has flattened large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.
In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas have appeared to inch closer to an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But the indirect talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled over the past year, and major obstacles remain.