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Cairo, Washington to Boost Cooperation in Climate Issues

Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
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Cairo, Washington to Boost Cooperation in Climate Issues

Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)

Cairo and Washington discussed on Saturday joint cooperation in fighting climate change as part of Egypt’s hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

In Washington, Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, met with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, to discuss promising investment opportunities in the Egyptian economy, especially regarding renewable energy.

Mashat said the talks are in line with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to increase the volume of energy generated by renewable sources to cover 42 percent of the country’s needs by 2035.

A statement from the cabinet said Mashat and Thorne also discussed how to benefit from the visit of the delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and the Egyptian American Business Council to the US.

“The two sides also tackled joint cooperation opportunities between Egypt and the US to prepare for a program that increases cooperation between the two countries in climate action, contributing to Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate summit, in light of the formation of a joint Egyptian-American climate working group,” the statement added.

Mashat had mentioned the preparations taken by the Egyptian government to organize COP27 while attending the Meridian International Center in Washington to celebrate 100 years of Egypt’s strategic partnership with the US.

“We will work together to private sector investments in key sectors including green and tech,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad held a meeting Saturday with Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Egypt Jan Fulik to discuss preparations for COP27.

Fouad stressed deeply-rooted relations between Egypt and the Czech Republic, welcoming cooperation between the two countries in the fields of climate change and environment.

She expressed hope that the COP27 conference would provide an opportunity to build on the outcomes of the COP26 conference, held in Glasgow last year.

For his part, Fulík said the Czech environment minister is seeking to visit Egypt soon to discuss environment-related issues.

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Israel Proposes Hostage Deal as Fighting Continues in Gaza

Palestinians set out to Khan Younis with their belongings, from Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinians set out to Khan Younis with their belongings, from Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Proposes Hostage Deal as Fighting Continues in Gaza

Palestinians set out to Khan Younis with their belongings, from Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinians set out to Khan Younis with their belongings, from Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces on March 23, 2025. (AFP)

Israel has proposed an extended truce in Gaza in exchange for the return of about half the remaining hostages, Israeli officials said on Monday, as the military issued new evacuation orders and said "intense operations" were planned in the south of the enclave.

The latest proposals would leave open a final agreement over ending the Israel-Hamas war that has destroyed wide swathes of Gaza, killed tens of thousands of people and displaced almost the entire population since it began in October 2023.

But the proposals foresee the return of half the 24 hostages believed still to be alive in Gaza nearly 18 months after they were seized by Hamas-led gunmen - and about half the 35 assumed to be dead - during a truce lasting between 40 and 50 days, said the Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would step up pressure on Hamas but would continue negotiations "under fire". Continued military pressure was the best means of securing the return of the hostages, he said.

Netanyahu also repeated Israeli demands for Hamas to disarm although the Palestinian movement has rejected such calls as a "red line" it will not cross.

Netanyahu said Hamas leaders would be allowed to leave Gaza under a wider settlement that would include proposals from US President Donald Trump for the "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from the narrow Strip.

EVACUATION ORDERS

On Monday, the Israeli military told Palestinians living in areas around the southern city of Rafah to relocate to Al Mawasi, an area on the shoreline.

"The Israeli army is returning to intense operations to dismantle the capabilities of the terrorist organizations in these areas," the military's Arabic language spokesperson said in a statement.

Hamas said at the weekend that it had accepted proposals made by Qatari and Egyptian mediators which security sources said would entail five hostages being released every week in exchange for a truce.

The Israeli military, which has cut off aid to Gaza, resumed operations on March 18 after a two-month truce, during which 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais were released in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Efforts to move to a second phase in the ceasefire agreement signed with U.S. backing in January have largely stalled, with no sign of movement to overcome fundamental differences between the two sides over the postwar future.

Israel has said Hamas' military and government capacity must be entirely dismantled and says the group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, can have no role in the future governance of the enclave.

Hamas says it is willing to step back to allow another Palestinian administration to take its place but has refused to disarm and says it must play a part in choosing whatever government follows.

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza following an attack by Hamas-led gunmen on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

The military campaign has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.