Cairo Announces Hosting of Mediators' Meeting to Discuss Second Phase of Gaza Agreement

Cairo, July 31 (KUNA) -- Egypt announced on Friday that the capital, Cairo, will soon host a meeting of mediators to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian General Authority for Information cited a well-informed Egyptian source as saying the meeting would include mediators from Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Turkey, to reaffirm all parties’ commitment to implementing the agreement’s provisions. The source added that the agreement includes the entry of the National Committee and the deployment of the International Stabilization Force, as well as the start of an early recovery phase and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. He noted that Hamas and Palestinian factions had responded positively to the mediators’ proposals to preserve Gaza and its people and to complete the reconstruction process. He confirmed that Hamas and the Palestinian factions had agreed to the “roadmap” for implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and clarified that the agreement stipulates that the National Committee will oversee the process of counting and storing weapons, to be carried out in a gradual and sequential manner. He pointed out that the agreement links the start of the weapons-counting process to the entry of the National Committee and the deployment of the International Stabilization Force in the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Donald Trump had announced yesterday that the Gaza Peace Council had reached what he described as a “historic agreement” to disarm Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. Trump stated in a post on Truth Social that “this agreement represents a very important step so that Gaza is finally under the control of a new Palestinian government working in close cooperation with the Peace Council to assist the Palestinian people.” He emphasized that this constitutes a “major achievement” in the implementation of his 20-point plan, explaining that once the disarmament process is completed, Israeli occupation forces will withdraw and an “international force” will deploy to ensure stability, alongside a new Palestinian police force, to assume responsibility for guaranteeing the security of Gaza and the safety of its residents and neighbors. He extended his thanks to the mediators—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—for their efforts that yielded this “historic breakthrough.” (End) A.F.F. / T.M.A.