Sheikh Mohamed At Cairo Peace Summit As Leaders Seek End To Israel-Gaza War

UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived at the hastily-convened Cairo Peace Summit in Egypt as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages into its third week.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the brutal war, demanding global “action to end this godawful nightmare”.

His remarks came just hours after a first contingent of aid trucks rumbled into Gaza, which Guterres said needed to be rapidly scaled up, with “much more” help sent through.

UAE President Calls For Ceasefire At GCC-Asean Summit in Riyadh

On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in the war during a joint summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

Stressing the region was facing a “grave conflict”, he emphasised the importance of opening humanitarian corridors to transport medical and relief aid to the Palestinian territory.

The head of state underlined the need to preserve civilian lives during the conflict, offering condolences to the families of all victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Cairo Peace Summit Seeks A Resolution To Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The 2023 Cairo Summit for Peace is held at a call from Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and aims to stop escalation in the Gaza Strip and discuss the future of the peace process.

It is set to address deescalating the war, pursue a ceasefire and seek a resolution to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict via the two-state solution.

31 countries and three international organisations are believed to be attending the Summit, in addition to the participation of the UN chief, Antonio Guterres.

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Absence Of Top Official From Israel’s Main Ally The US – In Focus

Egypt has said little about the objectives, beyond an October 15 statement by the presidency that the Summit would cover recent developments and the future of the Palestinian issue.

A senior EU official said there had been discussions about a common summit declaration but there were still “differences” so it was not clear if there would be a text in the end.

Nonetheless, the absence of a top official from Israel’s main ally the US and some other leaders has dampened expectations for what the Cairo Peace Summit can achieve.

Israel Preparing For A Ground Assault On Gaza

Israeli officials have said they will wipe out Hamas in retribution for the attack. But Arab countries have voiced anger at Israel’s unprecedented bombardment and siege of Gaza.

The Summit comes as Israel prepares for a ground assault on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people.

To date, more than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counteroffensive and scores of others injured, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.