Biden, Sisi Pledge to Confront Climate Crisis

President El-Sisi receives his US counterpart Biden in Sharm El-Sheikh yesterday.
President El-Sisi receives his US counterpart Biden in Sharm El-Sheikh yesterday.
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Biden, Sisi Pledge to Confront Climate Crisis

President El-Sisi receives his US counterpart Biden in Sharm El-Sheikh yesterday.
President El-Sisi receives his US counterpart Biden in Sharm El-Sheikh yesterday.

US President Joe Biden held bilateral talks on Friday with President Abdul Fatah El-Sisi on the margins of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Bassam Rady, the official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said that Sisi stressed during his meeting with Biden "the extended strategic partnership between the two countries, and its pivotal role in supporting security and stability in the Middle East.”

For his part, Biden valued the strong and deep Egyptian-US relations and confirmed that the US considers Egypt a strong and reliable friend and ally in the region.

The White House announced in a statement that the two presidents affirmed their commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

Before meeting Sisi, Biden delivered a speech at the Conference.

He pledged that the United States is “on track” to achieve its pledge of cutting emissions by 2030, calling on the countries of the world to do more to face the "climate crisis" that "threatens life on the planet".

Biden delivered a speech at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), in which he linked the climate crisis to human economy and security.

He said climate change is about human security, national security, and life on the planet as a whole. "Good climate policies are good economic policies," he added.



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.