Macron in Cairo: Summit for ceasefire planned in the Gaza War!

Macron in Cairo: Summit for ceasefire planned in the Gaza War!

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, celebrated his arrival in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday evening. This visit is part of his commitment to a new diplomatic initiative in the Gazakonflict. Macron will be received on Monday morning by the Egyptian head of state Fattah al-Sisi. A common summit with the Jordanian king Abdullah II is planned, in which the current efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will focus. According to vienna.at in mid-March again intensified their air strikes to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This conflict, which has been going on for some time, was recently interrupted by a ceasefire that had been in place since mid -January. Unfortunately, the negotiations on a continuation of this ceasefire have so far remained unsuccessful. Egypt has positioned itself as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas and moves in a complex political environment that is characterized by deep distrust.

humanitarian situation and planned meetings

In the coming days, Macron is planning a visit to El Arish, which is about 50 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. During this meeting with humanitarian helpers, he will reaffirm his support for a ceasefire. El Arish represents an important transition point for aid deliveries to the Palestinian area, which underlines the urgency of humanitarian support.

Deutschlandfunk reports that a recently obtained agreement has a six-week ceasefire, the release of hostess of Hamas and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire came into force on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. CET. Around 33 out of 98 remaining Israeli hostages are to be released during this period, while around 90 Palestinian prisoners are to be released.

The implementation of the agreement was temporarily delayed because the Hamas stated technical disorders and the hostage list was not transmitted in time. This meant that the first hostages, three civilians, should have been released at 3:00 p.m. Nevertheless, it is expected that a total of 737 prisoners will be released in the first phase of the agreement. According to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, a list of more than 90 prisoners, which are to be exchanged for the first three hostages, was published.

role of the border crossing

An important aspect of the agreement affects the humanitarian aid that is to be intensified for the Gaza Strip. The border crossing Rafah between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is to be reopened to enable the delivery of humanitarian goods. Around 600 trucks with relief goods have already been prepared, and the first relief supplies are said to have reached the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon. These measures are crucial to counteract the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The situation remains tense, however, since the Israeli forces intend to withdraw from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. Residents who have fled south should be allowed to return to their residential areas in the north under international supervision. The stability of the agreement is questionable and failure could lead to new fights.