Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum Receives Remaining Troops in Sudan

A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
TT

Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum Receives Remaining Troops in Sudan

A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)

The Egyptian army said on Thursday that three flights carrying its troops had arrived at a Cairo airbase from Sudan the previous day, confirming an earlier statement by the Sudanese Armed Forces on the return of the soldiers to Egypt.

In a statement, the army also said that other Egyptian troops still in Sudan had reached Egypt's embassy in Khartoum in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Earlier, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is battling the Sudanese army, said it had handed over 27 Egyptian soldiers in its custody to the Red Cross on Thursday morning.

An Egyptian army spokesperson said in a statement that all members of the Egyptian military, even the ones still at the embassy in Sudan, are safe and in good health.

The Egyptian troops had been in Sudan to take part in training exercises.

The Sudanese army had earlier in a statement blamed the Rapid Support Forces for holding 28 members of the Egyptian forces.

Late on Wednesday, the Sudanese army said 177 members of the Egyptian Air Force troops were evacuated to Egypt.

Later, the RSF said it had handed over 27 Egyptian soldiers in its custody to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday morning.

The RSF hailed in its statement the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, describing them as “all brethren and friendly countries” who contacted their leadership regarding the Egyptian troops.



Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
TT

Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The head of the Palestinian Authority denounced Israel and its offensive in the Gaza Strip in front of world leaders Thursday, appealing to other nations to stop what he called a “genocidal war” against a place and people he said had been totally destroyed.
Mahmoud Abbas used the rostrum of the UN General Assembly as he typically does — to criticize Israel. But this was the first time he did so since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Abbas strode to the podium to loud applause and a few unintelligible shouts. His first words were a sentence repeated three times: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.”
He accused Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable. And he said that his government should govern post-war Gaza as part of an independent Palestinian state, a vision that Israel’s hardline government rejects.
“Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers and our grandfathers. It will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers," The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
A nationwide series of campus protests against Israel's operations in Gaza swept the United States in the spring and largely originated at Columbia University, about 70 blocks north of the United Nations.
“The American people are marching in the streets in these demonstrations. We are appreciative of them," Abbas said.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry.

Abbas spent big chunks of his speech at the United Nations talking about the state of life in Gaza, and he painted a bleak picture.
"Entire family names have been written out of the civil record," he said. "Gaza is no longer fit for life. Most homes have been destroyed. The same applies for most buildings. ... Roads. Churches. Mosques. Water plants. Electric plants. Sanitation plants. Anyone who has gone to Gaza and known it before would not recognize it anymore.”
Among his demands, none of which are new: A full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip — not “buffer zones.” Allowing Gaza's displaced Palestinians — an estimated 90% of the population — to return to their homes. And a central role for Abbas' government in any future Gaza.
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”