Israeli FM Heads Delegation to Discuss Sudan Normalization

Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
TT
20

Israeli FM Heads Delegation to Discuss Sudan Normalization

Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen was in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday to discuss the normalization of ties between the two countries, two Sudanese government sources said.

The trip was part of an exchange of visits between Sudan and Israel and involved discussions on reaching and signing a normalization deal as well as military and security issues, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sudan agreed to take steps to normalize ties with Israel in a 2020 deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump's administration, alongside normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco known as the "Abraham Accords".

In January 2021, Sudan said that its justice minister at the time, Nasredeen Abdulbari, had signed on to the Abraham Accords during a visit by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, but Cohen's office said he would in the evening convene a news conference "upon his return from an historic state visit". It did not elaborate.



Fuel Shortages in Gaza at 'Critical Levels', UN Warns

 A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
TT
20

Fuel Shortages in Gaza at 'Critical Levels', UN Warns

 A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The United Nations warned Saturday that dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip had reached "critical levels", threatening to dramatically increase the suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

"After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity, seven UN agencies cautioned in a joint statement.

"When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation," the statement added.