Egypt, EU to continue joint efforts to halt Gaza war

Josep Borrell and Badr Abdel Atty. (Egypt State Information Service)
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Updated 08 July 2024
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Egypt, EU to continue joint efforts to halt Gaza war

  • Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty holds calls with EU’s Borrell, Turkiye’s Fidan 
  • Ankara, Cairo to continue coordination to address regional, international challenges

CAIRO: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty expressed his country’s appreciation for the positive positions adopted by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell concerning the situation in the region, particularly the Gaza crisis.

Abdel Atty held separate phone calls on Sunday with Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Borrell called Abdel Atty — also minister for emigration and Egyptian expatriates — to congratulate him on his new position.

During the call, Abdel Atty and Borrell expressed their keenness to elevate relations between Egypt and the EU to the level of a strategic partnership. 

They welcomed the momentum and success of the Egypt-EU Investment Conference held on June 29-30, which was one of the first major events of the new strategic partnership.

The conference sent a clear message to the European private sector about Egypt’s importance as a significant destination for European investments.

Abdel Atty emphasized the importance Egypt places on implementing the comprehensive partnership agreement between Egypt and the EU with its six pillars and accelerating the disbursement of the related financial packages. 

Both sides expressed an eagerness to continue consultation and coordination in line with the joint declaration on enhancing political dialogue between Egypt and the EU.

The call touched on the developments regarding the Gaza crisis, said  Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates.

He looked forward to continuing joint efforts to halt the war in the Gaza Strip and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation facing Gaza’s residents.

Abdel Atty also urged Borrell to continue the EU’s support for the Palestinian Authority to enable it to fulfill its responsibilities to the Palestinian people.

He emphasized Egypt’s commitment to ongoing coordination with the EU to support stability and defuse the serious crises currently facing the Middle East.

Separately, Abdel Atty received a phone call from the Turkish minister who congratulated him on his new position.

Abu Zeid indicated that Fidan, during the call, emphasized the depth of the close relations between the two countries. 

Fidan expressed his eagerness to work jointly with Abdel Atty to enhance cooperation between Egypt and Turkiye at various levels.

He also stressed the importance of continued mutual coordination to address challenges at regional and international level.

Abdel Atty expressed his gratitude to his Turkish counterpart for the initiative to call and offer congratulations.

He also praised the historical ties that bind the two countries, emphasizing the strong commitment of the Egyptian political leadership to further elevate Egyptian-Turkish relations in all fields.

Moreover, he stressed the importance of coordinating views and positions on all regional and international issues of mutual interest, bilaterally and through multilateral frameworks, contributing to the aspirations of the two countries and ensuring the security and stability of the region.

Abdel Atty also expressed his eagerness to work with Fidan to continue strengthening relations and capitalize on the current momentum in the relationship between the two countries.

He highlighted the increasing pace of joint coordination and ongoing communication regarding issues of mutual interest. 


The UN says Al-Hol camp population has dropped sharply as Syria moves to relocate remaining families

Updated 15 February 2026
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The UN says Al-Hol camp population has dropped sharply as Syria moves to relocate remaining families

  • Forces of Syria’s central government captured the Al-Hol camp on Jan. 21 during a weekslong offensive against the SDF, which had been running the camp near the border with Iraq for a decade

DAMASCUS: The UN refugee agency said Sunday that a large number of residents of a camp housing family members of suspected Daesh group militants have left and the Syrian government plans to relocate those who remain.
Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s representative in Syria, said in a statement that the agency “has observed a significant decrease in the number of residents in Al-Hol camp in recent weeks.”
“Syrian authorities have informed UNHCR of their plan to relocate the remaining families to Akhtarin camp in Aleppo Governorate (province) and have requested UNHCR’s support to assist the population in the new camp, which we stand ready to provide,” he said.
He added that UNHCR “will continue to support the return and reintegration of Syrians who have departed Al-Hol, as well as those who remain.”
The statement did not say how residents had left the camp or how many remain. Many families are believed to have escaped either during the chaos when government forces captured the camp from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces last month or afterward.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government and a government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
At its peak after the defeat of IS in Syria in 2019, around 73,000 people were living at Al-Hol. Since then, the number has declined with some countries repatriating their citizens. The camp’s residents are mostly children and women, including many wives or widows of IS members.
The camp’s residents are not technically prisoners and most have not been accused of crimes, but they have been held in de facto detention at the heavily guarded facility.
Forces of Syria’s central government captured the Al-Hol camp on Jan. 21 during a weekslong offensive against the SDF, which had been running the camp near the border with Iraq for a decade. A ceasefire deal has since ended the fighting.
Separately, thousands of accused IS militants who were held in detention centers in northeastern Syria have been transferred to Iraq to stand trial under an agreement with the US
The US military said Friday that it had completed the transfer of more than 5,700 adult male IS suspects from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody.
Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said a total of 5,704 suspects from 61 countries who were affiliated with IS — most of them Syrian and Iraqi — were transferred from prisons in Syria. They are now being interrogated in Iraq.