Egypt also called for de-escalating the situation so as to prevent the expansion of the conflict. Egypt reiterated that it will never accept calls to end the Palestinian cause at the expense of any country in the region. The statement also emphasized that the neglect of Palestinian rights for decades has led to the crisis, which should be used to unlock a way to a serious peace process and a Palestinian state. The management of the Palestinian issue, rather than working towards a real solution to the problem, does not live up to the minimum aspirations of a people, the statement said. There are even attempts to justify the killing of Palestinians as if their human lives are less important, the statement continued.

Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait stated that the government is pursuing more reforms and structural measures in the next period to cope with the economic challenges from both internal and external sources, especially those mentioned in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) report. Standard & Poor’s also anticipated that the government would continue to implement further reform measures in the upcoming period within the economic reform programme. The Finance Minister’s commitment to maintaining financial discipline and boosting tax revenue growth was praised by experts from Standard & Poor’s. This would achieve strong and sustainable growth primarily driven by the private sector. He pointed to the concerted efforts of all state authorities to encourage and attract private sector investments, including foreign direct investments, and to boost the export sector and productive activities.

The Egyptian government plans to issue green bonds worth $700m through one of its entities under the Ministry of Electricity. Egypt will also consider issuing sustainability bonds and social bonds at a later stage, after gaining experience in all types of issuances. Green bonds are fixed-income instruments that allocate their proceeds to finance or refinance eligible green projects in the green assets portfolio. Egypt has previously issued green bonds worth $750m to mobilise resources for green projects, especially in the field of clean transportation. This made Egypt the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to issue green bonds in the fiscal year 2020-2021.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday 20/10/2023 received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, as they discussed the latest developments of the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing endeavors to calm the situation in the enclave. During the phone conversation, the French president commended Egypt’s leading role in coordinating the efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, said Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmi. The two leaders stressed the necessity of facilitating the entry of aid to avert the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Sisi and Macron warned of the gravity of the current situation, especially in light of the uncalculated repercussions of widening the conflict on regional stability.

In the West Bank, the Israeli forces killed 84 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400, it said. The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened from both directions for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the besieged Strip, on Saturday. Humanitarian aid reached the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in cooperation with the Red Crescent. Meanwhile, Israel continues to bomb the Gaza Strip, targeting civilian shelter sites that includebhospitals, and schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that this first operation for aid delivery is a drop in the ocean of the Palestinians' humanitarian needs.

Humanitarian aid reached the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in cooperation with the Red Crescent. CAIRO – 21 October 2023: The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened from both directions for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the besieged Strip, on Saturday. Humanitarian aid reached the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in cooperation with the Red Crescent. A total of 20 trucks passed through the crossing, carrying food supplies, medical supplies, medicines, and relief, Al-Qahera News reported. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that this first operation for aid delivery is a drop in the ocean of the Palestinians' humanitarian needs.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is participating in the summit a day after he made a visit to the Rafah border crossing to check on humanitarian aid. He expressed gratitude for all parties that made possible the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Saturday. 14:00: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned Israeli targeting of hospitals and setting conditions to allow humanitarian aid in Gaza Strip. Menfi demanded protection of Palestinian civilians and the revival of the peace process, warning against the termination of the Palestinian Cause. 10:00: The Rafah border crossing opened, allowing 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the war-hit strip.

BEIING, Oct 18 (MENA) – Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly reiterated on Wednesday the depth and development of relations between Egypt and China that have been clearly manifested in the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries over the past period. He said he agreed with Madbouly over the Egyptian side’s assessment of bilateral relations which are termed as strategic and comprehensive, underlining the importance of working for the development of these strategic relations. He reiterated his country’s support of Egypt’s vision and program for sustainable development, which are consistent with the Belt and Road Initiative. Madbouli lauded Chinese companies’ participation in carrying out a number of mega development projects in Egypt, including the business district in the New Administrative Capital. The Prime Minister indicated that Egypt has an ambitious strategy to localize a number of advanced industries, hoping Chinese companies could extend a hand in this regard.

CAIRO - 20 October 2023: Amidst the ongoing crisis in Gaza, Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has spoken out against what it perceives as a deliberate targeting of Egypt by Western media outlets. In a statement, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the clear pattern of Egypt's targeting in Western media from the beginning of the crisis. The focus has been on portraying Egypt as responsible for hindering the departure of other nationals. 'Targeting in Western media is clear in the current crisis, promoting displacement scenario, holding responsible for the crossing closure despite targeted attacks & refusal of aid entry & recently insinuating responsibility for obstructing third-country nationals exit', he said. The situation underscores the importance of accurate and responsible reporting during times of crisis, as misinformation can have far-reaching consequences.

Egypt is witnessing intensified diplomatic, humanitarian and public activities on Friday amid the continuation of the Israeli aggression on the enclave for the 13th day. Summary:Millions of Egyptians took to streets to express their deep outrage over the Israeli crimes in Gaza as well as schemes to forcibly displace Palestinians to Sinai. Protesters voiced support to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in taking measures to protect national security amid the Israeli schemes to displace Palestinians to Sinai. 15:30: Many leaders will attend the Cairo Peace Summit scheduled for Saturday to discuss the conflict in Gaza. Leaders who already arrived in Cairo include Sunak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Eissa.

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CAIRO - 19 October 2023: Students at Egyptian schools stood for a minute of silence Thursday morning, in mourning for Gaza martyrs, while flags flown at half-mast. Many students raised the flag of the sister State of Palestine to declare their solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are exposed to horrific and brutal aggression from the Israeli forces. Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, directed all educational directorates to have students stand during the morning queue Thursday, in all schools nationwide, for a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs of the brotherly Palestinian people, as an expression of the solidarity of Egyptian students with the Palestinian cause, which was and will remain at the forefront of the priorities of the Egyptian state. Dr. Reda Hegazy stressed that the Ministry places the Palestinian issue and restoring the rights of the Palestinian people at the top of the awareness efforts it provides to its students.

CAIRO - 19 October 2023: Recent events in Russia have led to a rather noticeable centralization of the political life of this country. The elections of governors (heads of regions) and regional parliaments have just ended in September of this year, which showed an extremely high level of support for the ruling United Russia party. At the moment, in the Russian political field, Vladimir Putin has clearly become the only candidate in the sense that practically no one can challenge him. Their research agrees on one thing: if Vladimir Putin announces his desire to run for another presidential term in December of this year, no one will be able to challenge him. At the moment, the parliamentary process in Russia is quite predictable and no political surprises are expected.

A new archaeological discovery was made in the al-Ghuraifa area, south of Minya, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri announced on Sunday. Waziri revealed that a cemetery about 3,700 years old had been discovered containing a sarcophagus from the New Kingdom belong to a “Lady Nani”, who worked as a chanter for the god Djehuty, in addition to thousands of amulets and small statues. Colored canopic vessels were discovered for the first time related to the god Ptah Soker and the god Djehuty. According to Waziri, the most unique aspect of the discovery by far are the complete papyri of the Book of the Dead discovered for the first time in the Ghuraifah area, measuring approximately 15 to 18 meters in excellent condition. This valuable papyrus will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, he added.

CAIRO – 19 October 2030: A group of Egyptian students burned the Israeli flag in a protest in the Zaqaziq University campus, denouncing the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In Zaqaziq University, another protest was staged by the students, raising the Palestinian flags. Hamas fighters launched their military operation to end the suffering of the Palestinians under the Israeli siege in the Gaza Strip, and stop the provocative actions of the Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the number of people killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces reached 69 Palestinians and the number of the injured rose to 1,300. Israel announced that the number of deaths reached 1,400 Israelis and more than 3,400 others were injured.