Palestinian President, Jordan, Egypt Welcome Gaza Humanitarian Truce

FILED - 16 August 2022, Berlin: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, answers questions from journalists at a press conference after his meeting with the German Chancellor. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
FILED - 16 August 2022, Berlin: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, answers questions from journalists at a press conference after his meeting with the German Chancellor. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
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Palestinian President, Jordan, Egypt Welcome Gaza Humanitarian Truce

FILED - 16 August 2022, Berlin: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, answers questions from journalists at a press conference after his meeting with the German Chancellor. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
FILED - 16 August 2022, Berlin: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, answers questions from journalists at a press conference after his meeting with the German Chancellor. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed on Wednesday the foreign-mediated humanitarian deal between his Hamas rivals and Israel in the Gaza Strip, and called for wider solutions to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas' administration, based in the occupied West Bank, "appreciate(s) the Qatari-Egyptian (mediation) effort", wants an extended truce with Israel and "the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy," a social media post by senior Palestinian aide Hussein Al-Sheikh said.

Israel and Hamas announced a deal on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, while offering besieged Gaza residents a four-day truce after weeks of all-out war.

In the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the war, Israel, Hamas, the United States and Qatar sketched in a series of statements a carefully sequenced agreement that has been weeks in the making, said AFP.

Under the Qatar-brokered deal, Palestinian militants will release 50 women and children kidnapped during their October 7 raids, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians.

Hamas and other Palestinian groups are believed to be holding an estimated 240 Israelis and foreigners hostage in Gaza.

Jordan said it hoped the truce would be a step that would end the war in Gaza and prevent the targeting of Palestinians and their displacement from their land.

In a statement on state media, the foreign ministry said it hoped the four-day pause in fighting agreed between the Israel's government and Hamas will allow much-needed humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed the deal, crediting it to successful Egyptian, Qatari and American mediation.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, he underscored “Egypt’s ongoing efforts to reach lasting and sustainable solutions to achieve justice and peace and secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”



Egypt Rescues 28 People in Tourist Yacht Sinking in Red Sea

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
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Egypt Rescues 28 People in Tourist Yacht Sinking in Red Sea

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)

A tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea on Monday after warnings of rough waters and 16 people were missing, Egyptian officials said.

The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, and some were airlifted to receive medical treatment.

Hanafy visited the site where the vessel sank, according to a Red Sea Governorate update on Facebook. A total of 44 people were on board the yacht, including 13 Egyptians, who include crew members, and 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland.

The governor confirmed that rescuers were still searching for the missing, including four Egyptians and 12 foreigners. Meanwhile, those who survived suffered only bruises and abrasions and were taken to a hotel in Marsa Alam in good condition.

The Egyptian military was coordinating rescue operations with the governorate.

The boat, named Sea Story, had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March, according to officials.

Preliminary reports, based on statements from the yacht crew and tourists, said a large wave crashed into the boat, causing it to capsize, according to the governorate’s update. Some of the passengers were inside the cabins when the incident unfolded within minutes, according to the statements.

The UK Foreign Office said it was providing consular support to “a number of British nationals and their families” after the sinking.

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs also told The Associated Press in an email that it is “aware of this incident and is providing consular assistance” without revealing further details.

Meanwhile, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of any Spanish nationals among the missing. The ministry said that five Spanish nationals were rescued and are out of danger.

The governorate received a report shortly before dawn Monday of a distress call made from the yacht, which had left Marsa Alam for a five-day journey.

It was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck, wooden-hulled motorized yacht to sink. But the Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned about turbulence and high waves on the Red Sea and advised against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile, founder of the Society for Marine Rescue and Environmental Conservation in the Red Sea Hassan al-Tayeb told Asharq Al-Awsat that the yacht likely sank because of the poor weather conditions, citing meteorological reports a day before the incident.

The vessel had set sail before the weather warnings were made.

Tayeb stressed that such accidents are uncommon and that vessels are inspected by the concerned authorities before taking any sea journey.

He did not hold anyone in Egypt responsible for tourist vessel sinkings, explaining that ultimately, the weather is out of anyone’s control.