CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov by telephone on Thursday about Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain's rift with Qatar, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The four Arab states cut diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny Gulf nation last month, which they accuse of supporting terrorism and allying with regional foe Iran. Doha denies the charges.
"Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday and affirmed Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain's position of rejecting Qatar's support for terrorism and extremism," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.
The foreign ministers of the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ) met in Cairo on Wednesday in a gathering that was expected to yield further sanctions after a deadline they gave Qatar to meet 13 demands expired. However, they announced no new measures.
They voiced disappointment at Qatar's "negative" response to their demands and said their boycott of it would continue. Shoukry told Lavrov of the results of the quartet's meeting, Abu Zeid said, and Lavrov affirmed his country's commitment to helping fight terror.
Shoukry and Lavrov also discussed the latest developments in Syria and agreed to meet soon in Cairo or Moscow, Abu Zeid said. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein)
In phone call with Russian FM, Egypt's top diplomat affirms terror raps against Qatar
In phone call with Russian FM, Egypt's top diplomat affirms terror raps against Qatar
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Israeli fire kills three in Gaza, as US seeks to advance Gaza deal
- Talks were held on Saturday
CAIRO: Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, while an Israeli drone wounded four others in Gaza City, local health authorities said on Sunday.
Medics said Israeli fire killed at least two people east of Tuffah neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, while a 41-year-old man was killed by Israeli forces in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.
Earlier medical workers said an Israeli drone exploded on the rooftop of a multi-floor building in Gaza City, wounding four civilians in the street nearby.
There was no comment by the Israeli military on any of the incidents.
US ENVOYS MEET WITH ISRAEL PM NETANYAHU
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Israel on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, Witkoff said on Sunday.
“The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region,” Witkoff said in a post on X.
Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war that was triggered by an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since then. It also says that at least 480 people have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire agreement came into effect last October.
BOTH SIDES TRADE BLAME FOR VIOLATIONS
Israel has said four soldiers had been killed by militants in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Both sides have traded blame for violations of the truce.
Earlier this month, Washington said the plan had moved into a second phase, in which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza, and Hamas is due to yield control of the territory’s administration.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, more than 100 people attended the funeral of a person killed by Israeli drone fire on Saturday, after holding special prayers in front of his white-shrouded body at the morgue in Nasser Hospital.
“They are liars, there is no ceasefire,” said Fares Erheimat, a relative of the dead man, during the funeral.
