Egypt, US Agree on Facing Climate Change Challenges

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Egypt, US Agree on Facing Climate Change Challenges

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt and the US agreed on the need for joint action to achieve the goals of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in facing the challenges of climate change.

On Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed, in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, that Egypt has made all the necessary arrangements to ensure the effective participation of official delegations, private sector representatives, NGOs, and civil society representatives concerned with climate change issues.

COP27 will be launched in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with the participation of several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid indicated that the call touched on the recent Israeli elections and that Shoukry stressed the importance of avoiding any escalation or provocations against the Palestinian people.

The Minister underscored the importance of focusing all efforts on reviving the peace process after the formation of the new Israeli government.

Shoukry and Blinken also discussed human rights in Egypt.

The Egyptian foreign Minister reviewed Cairo’s most recent efforts within the framework of the National Strategy for Human rights, referring to the most recent decisions of the National Pardon Committee and the National Dialogue.

The spokesman pointed out that the two ministers affirmed their keenness to continue the dialogue between the two countries to deepen the US-Egypt strategic partnership and intensify cooperation and coordination mechanisms in facing global and regional challenges.

On Thursday, the US Embassy in Cairo announced that senior US officials from over 16 agencies and organizations would travel to Sharm El-Sheikh to “advance climate ambition and ensure a strong outcome” at the global conference.

The US delegation will be led by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and includes several senior officials, including Blinken.



Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 9, Including 2 Children

A Palestinian boy plays among the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 04 October 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian boy plays among the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 04 October 2024. (EPA)
TT

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 9, Including 2 Children

A Palestinian boy plays among the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 04 October 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian boy plays among the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 04 October 2024. (EPA)

Palestinian medical officials said Israeli strikes in northern and central Gaza early Saturday have killed at least nine people, including two children.

One strike hit a group of people in the northern town of Beit Hanoun, killing at least five people, including two children, according to the Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency service.

Another strike hit a house in the northern part of Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least four people, the Awda hospital said. The strike also left a number of wounded people, it said.

The Israeli military did not have any immediate comment on the strikes, but has long accused Hamas of operating from within civilian areas.

Earlier, the army warned residents in parts of central Gaza to evacuate, saying its forces will soon operate there in response to Palestinian fighters.  

The warnings cover areas along a strategic corridor in central Gaza, which was at the heart of obstacles to a ceasefire deal earlier this summer.  

The military warned Palestinians in areas of Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps, located along the Netzarim corridor, to evacuate to the area the military designated a humanitarian zone, an area called Muwasi along Gaza’s shore.  

It’s unclear how many Palestinians are currently living in this area, parts of which were evacuated previously.  

Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to heavily destroyed areas of Gaza where they had fought earlier battles against Hamas and other fighters since the start of war one year ago.  

The vast majority of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people has been displaced in the war, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps.  

Others have remained in their homes despite being ordered to leave, saying nowhere in the isolated coastal territory feels safe.  

At least 41,825 Palestinians have been killed and 96,910 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the enclave's health authorities said on Saturday.