Egypt and Qatar stressed the need for all parties to commit to implementing their obligations under US President Donald Trump’s plan to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.
This came during a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, on Thursday, with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency confirmed that the talks touched on cooperation and coordination between the two countries regarding the implementation of the agreement to stop the war in the Gaza Strip in a way that establishes stability and contributes to the rapid start of the early recovery and reconstruction process, in addition to the need to enhance the access of humanitarian aid to the Strip.
The “Trump plan” includes 20 points to end the conflict in Gaza, and moves from a ceasefire to disarmament, technocratic rule, reconstruction, and Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
During the meeting, it was agreed to continue coordination between the two brotherly countries in connection with the implementation of the agreement to stop the war in Gaza and in order to maintain regional peace and stability in general, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency on Thursday.
Al-Sisi pointed out “the importance of containing the current regional escalation, taking into account its repercussions on the stability of the region, as well as its economic and commercial effects,” and noted the tireless efforts made by Egypt to reduce the current escalation, reiterating his country’s position of support and support for the security of the sisterly State of Qatar and other Arab countries, and its complete rejection of any attempts to undermine their sovereignty and stability.
At the level of bilateral relations, the Egyptian President praised the progress and growth witnessed in relations with Qatar, expressing his aspiration to continue strengthening these relations in various political, commercial and investment sectors.
On Wednesday, Egypt called for intensifying international aid to meet the growing needs in the Gaza Strip, amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and restrictions on the entry of aid through the crossings.
The Egyptian demand came during a tour that brought together the Governor of North Sinai, Khaled Mujawar, with the British Minister of State for the Middle East, Stephen Doate, inside the “Egyptian Red Crescent” warehouses in the city of Al-Arish, in northeastern Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip, to see the mechanisms for receiving and preparing humanitarian aid in preparation for its entry into Gaza.
The two sides also inspected the storage departments for food, medicine, medical supplies, and accommodation, and saw the extent of the efforts made by the Red Crescent teams around the clock to ensure speedy preparation and delivery, according to local Egyptian media.
Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Assistant Foreign Minister Mohamed Hegazy, explained that the visit of the British Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs to the aid warehouses in Al-Arish carries a political and humanitarian significance “that goes beyond mere field inspection,” stressing that Al-Arish has practically become one of the most important collection and logistical points for international aid heading to Gaza, and therefore the presence of a high-ranking British official there sends a message that the aid crisis is no longer only an Egyptian or regional issue, but has become a direct international responsibility.
The most important indication, in his opinion, is the transition from knowing the crisis to testing the mechanisms for aid delivery. “The presence of large amounts of relief in warehouses and on the Egyptian side of the border, at a time when needs are worsening inside Gaza, raises a central question, which is that the problem is not only in providing or financing aid, but rather in ensuring its regular and safe access to the population in need.”
During the visit, Major General Khaled Mujawar confirmed that North Sinai Governorate provides all facilities and logistical support for the work of relief organizations, and that Al-Arish warehouses operate as a major center for collecting aid from Egypt and the world, before transporting it to the Gaza Strip in coordination with the concerned authorities.
The governor pointed out the importance of continuing international cooperation and intensifying aid to meet the growing needs in the sector.
Hegazy said that Egypt “seeks to transform the humanitarian file into a collective international commitment, so that major countries, especially countries with influence on Israel, bear the responsibility of pressing to ensure relief reaches Gaza.”
Hegazy believes that the visit of the British official could help in this direction on more than one level. “First, it provides direct field testimony on the scale of humanitarian needs. It also places Britain before its political responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council and an influential force in the international system, as well as the possibility of strengthening a more cohesive European and international position that links funding with actual guarantees of the freedom and speed of aid access.”
On Wednesday morning, the Egyptian Red Crescent launched the “Zad Al-Azza... from Egypt to Gaza” convoy No. 260, loaded with humanitarian aid heading to the Gaza Strip, coinciding with World Humanitarian Day. The convoy carried more than 2,577 tons of various humanitarian aid, including food baskets, relief materials, and medical supplies, in addition to the petroleum supplies needed to operate hospitals and vital facilities in the Strip.
Hijazi believes that demands should shift from simply calling for “increased aid” to a more specific formula, which includes opening effective humanitarian corridors, removing obstacles to the entry of trucks, ensuring the protection of humanitarian workers, and providing an international mechanism to monitor the flow and distribution of aid.
He added that the main Egyptian message from this relief activity is that Al-Arish “can receive, store and coordinate aid, but the international community is required to secure its arrival in Gaza, and to transform humanitarian solidarity from positions and statements into a practical and sustainable mechanism that guarantees the flow of relief.”
Days after news was circulated on social media platforms about the mass layoff of Egyptian workers in the UAE, Cairo and Abu Dhabi issued official statements denying the validity of these allegations, and confirmed that what is being raised about workers is not true. These are the reassurances that created a state of relief within Egypt, especially among labor families in the Emirates in particular, and the Arab Gulf countries in general.
For its part, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that “labor conditions are stable, and that what is being raised does not go beyond individual cases related to violating residency laws.”
Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs, Ambassador Haddad Al-Gohary, said, “There is no truth to what is being circulated regarding the existence of a collective termination of Egyptian labor services in the UAE or the Gulf countries, and the cases presented are no more than individual incidents that were circulated on social media platforms.”
Al-Gohary added, in television statements, that the cases that were raised recently “are due to violations of residency controls and conditions or regulatory audit procedures,” stressing that “there is no general crisis or exceptional measures targeting Egyptians there.”
The number of Egyptians in the UAE is about 1.3 million Egyptians by the end of 2024, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in Egypt.
The Assistant Foreign Minister stated that “some people entered on tourist visas and were unable to reconcile their situation to obtain regular work residencies, and that the authorities apply the applicable legal rules to everyone without exception.”
Al-Gohary explained, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently coordinating to form a joint consular committee with the Emirati side, to discuss and review files related to the Egyptian community and follow up on developments in residency and visas.”
He stressed that the process of issuing visas to Egyptian citizens is proceeding regularly and without obstacles, and pointed out that “the cancellation of the residencies of some individuals and their publication of video clips documenting this do not reflect the general situation.”
In conjunction; The diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, said that “some targeted platforms are circulating false information” about his country, including “cancellation of workers’ residency permits,” stressing that it is “incorrect information and part of desperate media campaigns,” according to a post he made on the “X” platform, on Wednesday.
He added: “Concrete facts and achievements remain stronger than rumours, and action remains stronger than hype.”
These are the statements that Egyptian Sobhi Fawzi, the father of a son who works in a restaurant in Dubai, received with relief, pointing out that his family does not feel any concern about the rumors circulating about the deportation of Egyptian workers from the Emirates. He confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that his son has been doing his work normally for years, and has not received any notification or indication of the termination of his residency or work, adding that “if there was something like this, the family would have been the first to know.”
Egyptian media and platforms talked about canceling the residency permits of Egyptian workers in the Emirates while they were in Egypt to spend their vacations, which raised concerns among members of the community and the families of workers there, which called for parliamentary action to demand clarification of the truth of the matter.
Representative Islam Al-Talwani, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives, said in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that the official responses from the Egyptian and Emirati sides “resolved the controversy by denying these allegations completely and in detail, and the matter did not go beyond a crisis related to one company only, without any collective or large-scale layoffs.”
In turn, Ambassador Mohamed Al-Orabi, Undersecretary of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian Senate, and former Egyptian Foreign Minister, said that the denial of the two countries’ foreign ministries of what was raised about Egyptian workers “cuts the way for rumors and undocumented information,” stressing that what may appear in terms of individual cases or illegal situations “does not in any way represent a phenomenon or a systematic political trend against Egyptians at all.”
Al-Orabi confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Egyptian community in the UAE enjoys a good work environment and largely stable conditions in a brotherly country with close ties to Egypt.”
