Egypt, Qatar Reject Attempts to Liquidate Palestinian Cause

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Qatar Reject Attempts to Liquidate Palestinian Cause

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and Qatar rejected any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause at the expense of the Palestinian people or regional countries and attempts at forced displacement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the presidential palace on Friday and held a session of talks.

Egyptian presidency spokesman Ahmed Fahmy stated that the two leaders agreed to continue activating the various frameworks of cooperation and mechanisms of consultation and coordination at all levels between the two countries.

- Protection of civilians

The “Sisi-Tamim Summit” in Cairo discussed the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent regional challenges that push the region into dangerous and uncalculated directions.

The two leaders discussed the best ways to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and to stop the bloodshed.

The Egyptian Presidency’s statement confirmed that they reviewed the intensive efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and sustaining the delivery of humanitarian aid in quantities that meet the needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

They confirmed rejection of any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue at the expense of the Palestinian people or the countries of the region, as well as attempts at forced displacement.

The spokesman said the two sides confirmed continuing consultations to stop the current escalation, reduce the suffering of civilians, and stop the bloodshed of the Palestinian people. They aimed it would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under the international legitimacy references and the achievement of just peace in the region.

- Cessation of military actions

Egypt continues its international and Arab efforts to stop the escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Ambassador to Hungary, Mohamed el-Shinawy, along with the ambassadors of Morocco, Qatar, and Palestine and on behalf of the Arab ambassadors accredited to Hungary, met Hungarian Speaker László Kover and other officials. They discussed the war in Gaza and its developments.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the Arab ambassadors stressed the necessity of immediately stopping military actions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians.

They asserted the need to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip without any restrictions.

Israel must assume its obligations under international humanitarian law as an occupying state, they asserted.

The Arab ambassadors stressed the Arab countries’ rejection of Israel’s systematic policies to displace the Palestinians from Gaza, impose a fait accompli, and target civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship.

They pointed out the importance of starting a political process that led to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

- Humanitarian aid

Meanwhile, the second Saudi relief plane arrived at el-Arish International Airport in Egypt, carrying 35 tons of relief aid, including food and shelter materials, to be transported to those affected in the Gaza Strip.

The assistance is part of the fundraising campaign launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to assist the Palestinian people in Gaza, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The agency said Friday that the aid comes within the framework of Saudi Arabia’s historical role of supporting the Palestinian people in times of crisis.

The first Saudi relief plane arrived at El-Arish International Airport on Thursday, carrying 35 tons of relief aid, including food and shelter materials, which will be transported to those affected inside the Gaza Strip.

Friday morning, the Palestinian Red Crescent and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) received 65 trucks of humanitarian aid that crossed into the Gaza Strip from the Rafah crossing.

The official spokesman for North Sinai Governorate, Mohammad Salim Salam, said the 821 trucks entered Gaza from the Rafah crossing as of Friday, according to the German News Agency.



Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against its Policy

FILE - A displacement camp sheltering Palestinians on a beach amid stormy weather is seen in Gaza City, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
FILE - A displacement camp sheltering Palestinians on a beach amid stormy weather is seen in Gaza City, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against its Policy

FILE - A displacement camp sheltering Palestinians on a beach amid stormy weather is seen in Gaza City, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
FILE - A displacement camp sheltering Palestinians on a beach amid stormy weather is seen in Gaza City, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that this week's Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.

It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The ⁠statement did not specify what part of the board's composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.

The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel ⁠has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.

Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli-Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates.

Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President ⁠Donald Trump's plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.

The first members of the so-called Board of Peace - to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza's temporary governance - were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.


Sisi Says he Values Trump Offer to Mediate Egypt-Ethiopia Dispute on GERD

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump points as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump points as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
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Sisi Says he Values Trump Offer to Mediate Egypt-Ethiopia Dispute on GERD

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump points as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump points as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he valued an offer by US President Donald Trump to mediate ⁠a dispute over Nile River waters between Egypt and Ethiopia.

In a post on ⁠X, Sisi said on Saturday that he addressed Trump's letter by affirming Egypt's position and concerns about the country's water ⁠security in regards to Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"I am ready to restart US mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to responsibly resolve the question of 'The Nile Water Sharing' once and for all," Trump wrote to Sisi in the letter that was also posted on Trump’s Truth Social account.

Addis Ababa's September 9 inauguration of GERD has been a source of anger ⁠in Cairo, which is downstream on the Nile.

Ethiopia sees the $5 billion dam on a tributary of the Nile as central to its economic ambitions.

Egypt says the dam violates international treaties and could cause both droughts ⁠and flooding.

Sudan, another ​downstream country, has expressed concern about the regulation and safety of ⁠its own water supplies and dams.

Sudan's army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also welcomed Trump's mediation offer on Saturday.


Kurds Say Sharaa's Decree Falls Short, Syrian Government Forces Enter Deir Hafer

Syrian army convoys enter the Deir Hafer area in the eastern Aleppo countryside, Syria, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the handover of the area west of the Euphrates to the Syrian government, 17 January 2026. EPA/AHMAD FALLAHA
Syrian army convoys enter the Deir Hafer area in the eastern Aleppo countryside, Syria, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the handover of the area west of the Euphrates to the Syrian government, 17 January 2026. EPA/AHMAD FALLAHA
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Kurds Say Sharaa's Decree Falls Short, Syrian Government Forces Enter Deir Hafer

Syrian army convoys enter the Deir Hafer area in the eastern Aleppo countryside, Syria, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the handover of the area west of the Euphrates to the Syrian government, 17 January 2026. EPA/AHMAD FALLAHA
Syrian army convoys enter the Deir Hafer area in the eastern Aleppo countryside, Syria, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the handover of the area west of the Euphrates to the Syrian government, 17 January 2026. EPA/AHMAD FALLAHA

Syria's Kurds on Saturday said a presidential decree recognizing the minority's rights and making Kurdish an official language fell short of their expectations as Syrian government forces entered the outskirts of a northern town.

In a statement, the Kurdish administration in Syria's north and northeast said the decree issued by President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday was "a first step, however it does not satisfy the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people".

It added that "rights are not protected by temporary decrees, but... through permanent constitutions that express the will of the people and all components" of society.

Al-Sharaa’s decree affirmed that Syrian citizens of Kurdish origin are an integral and original part of the Syrian people, and that their cultural and linguistic identity is an inseparable component of Syria’s inclusive national identity.

The decree commits the state to protecting cultural and linguistic diversity and guarantees Kurdish citizens the right to preserve their heritage, arts, and mother tongue within the framework of national sovereignty.

It recognizes Kurdish as a national language and allows it to be taught in public and private schools in areas where Kurds make up a significant proportion of the population.

It also grants Syrian nationality to all residents of Kurdish origin living on Syrian territory, including those previously unregistered, while ensuring full equality in rights and duties.

The decree further designates Nowruz, celebrated annually on March 21, as an official public holiday.

Syrian government forces entered the outskirts of the northern town of Deir Hafer Saturday morning after the command of Kurdish-led fighters said it would evacuate the area in an apparent move to avoid conflict.

This came after deadly clashes erupted earlier this month between government troops and the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.

It ended with the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from three neighborhoods taken over by government forces.

An Associated Press reporter saw on Saturday government tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, including pickup trucks with heavy machine-guns mounted on top of them, rolling toward the town of Deir Hafer from nearby Hamima after bulldozers removed barriers. There was no SDF presence on the edge of the town.

Meanwhile, the Syrian military said Saturday morning its forces were in full control of Deir Hafer, captured the Jarrah airbase east of the town, and were working on removing all mines and explosives. It added that troops would also move toward the nearby town of Maskana.

On Friday night, after government forces started pounding SDF positions in Deir Hafer, the Kurdish-led fighters’ top commander Mazloum Abdi posted on X that his group would withdraw from contested areas in northern Syria. Abdi said SDF fighters would relocate east of the Euphrates River starting 7 a.m. (0400 gmt) Saturday.

The easing of tension came after US military officials visited Deir Hafer on Friday and held talks with SDF officials in the area.

The United States has good relations with both sides and has urged calm.