Sisi: Egypt Won’t Allow Termination of Palestinian Cause at Expense of Other Parties

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi: Egypt Won’t Allow Termination of Palestinian Cause at Expense of Other Parties

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has issued a stern warning about the current escalation in Gaza.

In statements on Tuesday, Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s National Security being his top responsibility and that it “cannot be compromised or forfeited under any circumstance.”

He added that Egypt will not allow the termination of the Palestinian cause at the expense of other parties.

Sisi confirmed that his country is closely monitoring the developments in the region, particularly in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“Egypt is intensifying its efforts at all levels to halt the current military confrontations, to spare the blood of the Palestinian people, and to protect civilians on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” said Sisi.

“Egypt affirms that a just and comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution is the way to achieve genuine and sustainable security for the Palestinian people.”

He added that “Egypt does not relinquish its commitments to Arab issues, with the Palestinian cause at the forefront.”

Sisi expressed Egypt’s hope for a resolution and settlement of the Palestinian cause “through negotiations leading to a just peace and the establishment of the Palestinian state.”

Regarding Egypt’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire, he said: “We are in communication with all international powers and all regional influential parties to reach an immediate cessation of violence and achieve a ceasefire to save the lives of civilians on both sides.”

At a time when there are increasing concerns about a potential mass Palestinian migration toward the Egyptian border with Gaza, Sisi emphasized that "there will be no compromise on Egypt’s national security under any circumstances, and the Egyptian people must be aware of the complexities of the situation and the magnitude of the threat.”

High-ranking Egyptian security sources have issued a warning through statements to Egyptian media.

They expressed concerns about what they described as “an attempt to push Palestinians in Gaza towards migrating to the Egyptian border due to the ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the strip.”

The sources emphasized that “Egyptian sovereignty is not to be violated.”



Lebanon to Request One-month Truce Extension in Israel Meeting

Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Lebanon to Request One-month Truce Extension in Israel Meeting

Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during its meeting with Israel in Washington on Thursday, a Lebanese official told AFP.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the topic, said "Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that "contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period", which began last week and is set to expire Sunday.

Israel to Lebanon: Cooperation Required on Your Side

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking to diplomats during an event marking the 78th anniversary of Israel’s “independence” on Wednesday, called on Lebanon to cooperate and make joint efforts to confront Hezbollah.

Saar said: “Tomorrow, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will resume in Washington. I call on the Lebanese government to cooperate with us against the state of terrorism that Hezbollah has built on your territory.”

He added: “This cooperation is required more from your side than from ours. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative to ensuring a future of peace for you and for us.”

Lebanon and Israel have been formally at war since 1948. Israel took control of additional areas in southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.

The war between Hezbollah and Israel has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,400 people and the displacement of around one million on the Lebanese side.

Despite a ceasefire being in effect, Israeli forces still occupy areas in southern Lebanon and continue to operate there.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that his country would use its “full force” in Lebanon if its soldiers were threatened.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel says it retains the right to act against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

The Israeli army announced last week the establishment of a “yellow line” separating areas in southern Lebanon, similar to the line that separates its forces from areas controlled by Hamas in Gaza.


Report Says US Blocked $500M Cash Shipment to Iraq Over Pro-Iran Attacks

An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Report Says US Blocked $500M Cash Shipment to Iraq Over Pro-Iran Attacks

An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)

The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed armed factions. 

The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to Iraq and frozen funding for security programs following attacks on US interests in the country by groups showing solidarity with Iran. 

Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States. 

However, Iraqi leaders have struggled to maintain that delicate balance as war engulfs the Middle East. 

The US State Department said this month it had summoned Iraq's ambassador to Washington to express "strong condemnation" of attacks by pro-Iran groups on US interests, "including the April 8 ambush of US diplomats in Baghdad". 

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Treasury Department blocked a shipment of nearly $500 million in cash from Iraqi oil sales, quoting US and Iraqi officials. 

AFP has contacted the Treasury Department for comment. 

The United States has leverage over Iraq because the country's oil export revenue is largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, under an arrangement reached after the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. 

The Wall Street Journal quoted unidentified US officials as saying that the suspension on cash shipments was temporary. 

The Central Bank of Iraq has not commented specifically about the reports. 

However, it said on Tuesday it was not lacking US dollars and that it had "fulfilled all requests from banks and exchange companies for US dollars, which are intended for pilgrims, travelers and foreign transfers." 

The funding freeze to security programs includes training for Iraq's army and counterterror efforts against the ISIS group, The New York Times reported. 


Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
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Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

An Israeli drone strike on Lebanon's Bekaa region killed one person and injured two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel Hezbollah.

"One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an enemy drone at dawn on the outskirts of Al-Jabur in West Bekaa," the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

However, the Israeli military said it was unaware of the ‌strike.

Hezbollah on Tuesday said it had launched rockets and attack drones at a site in northern Israel in response to "blatant" Israeli ceasefire violations, which it said included "attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages.”

The Israeli military said that day that Hezbollah "launched several rockets" towards soldiers stationed in south Lebanon and that the military struck the launcher in response.

NNA on Wednesday reported Israeli artillery shelling and demolitions in southern towns Israel continues to occupy.

Israel conducted huge strikes across Lebanon and invaded the south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2.

Despite the truce which began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in south Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that they would use "full force" if threatened.

Under the truce terms, Israel says it reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,454 people since the start of the war, a Lebanese government body said in its latest toll.