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Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Such escalation could also jeopardize efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages, despite recent progress in negotiations. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed comprehensive security strategies to protect Israel, according to a statement on Monday. Israel was considering its options to prepare for a regional attack over the weekend. The country braces for war in its own way and tends to pick up after itself.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, ”, Israel, Israel hasn’t, “, Yoav Gallant, Defense Lloyd Austin, Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Ayman Safadi, Badr Abdelatti, Ali Bagheri Kani, ‘, Masoud Pezeshkian, Safadi, Nasser Kanaani, Fu’ad Shukr, Majdal Shams, Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” “, ” Netanyahu, Ali Bagheri, Netanyahu, Gallant, Daniel Hagari, Lebanon scrambledto, floaties, Samer Othman, Jalaa Marey, Othman, Liz Nicholas, David Adom, Be’er, Ivana Reiser, Zeev Jabotinsky, Naama, ” Be’er, ” Baer, Reiser, Roy Dror, Ron Heckmann, they’re, Dror, ” Heckmann, Uri Shacham, Shacham Organizations: Jerusalem CNN —, Iran’s, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saturday, US, Israeli, Defense, US Central Command, Jordanian, Egypt’s, Zionist, Israel, Iran, Sunday, Getty Images Israel, Hezbollah, CNN, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Getty, MDA Locations: Beirut, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, Syria, Majdal, Golan, ”, AFP, Cairo, Lebanese, Beirut’s, Mount Herzl, London, Nahariyah

☆ Egypt warns Israel of ‘dire repercussions’ over Rafah operation in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The official said that coordination between the two countries on the Rafah operation, which Egypt has publicly opposed, “didn’t go well. The top diplomats in both countries traded blame over the closure of the Rafah crossing as aid deliveries through the key land crossing halted. Rafah had been the entry point for nearly a quarter of the relief entering the Gaza Strip before Israel’s operation. Videos released by the Israeli military last week showed Israeli flags raised on the Palestinian side of the frontier. It is unclear how many troops Israel now has stationed across the border in Rafah.

Persons: “ didn’t, Israel, ”, ” Israel, Israel Katz, David Cameron, Annalena Baerbock, Sameh Shoukry, Katz, ” Shoukry, Shoukry, Egypt didn’t, Fatah, Abdel Kareem Hana Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Street, Palestinian, US State Department, Israeli, Foreign, German, AFP, Getty, Israel Locations: Egypt, Israel, Gaza’s, Rafah, Gaza, Cairo

☆ Israel’s Closures of 2 Gaza Border Crossings Prompt Alarm Over Humanitarian Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With its seizure of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, Israel has now closed two key crossings for aid into Gaza, drawing sharp warnings from international agencies and officials who said the moves could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Since the start of the war, Israel had limited aid entering the Gaza Strip to the two tightly controlled border crossings: Kerem Shalom and Rafah, which both access the enclave’s south. But Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing after a Hamas attack on Sunday killed four soldiers in the area, then mounted an incursion on Tuesday that closed the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt. Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian office, said in a news briefing that Israel had “choked off” the two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza. Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned the Rafah operation “in the strongest terms,” saying on Tuesday afternoon that Israeli control over the crossing jeopardized humanitarian aid deliveries as well as the ability of Gazans to leave the strip for medical treatment.

Persons: Jens Laerke, Israel, “ Organizations: Sunday, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Kerem Shalom

☆ Israel Softened Its Demands in Cease-Fire Negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli officials said today that they had reduced the number of hostages they were asking Hamas to free in exchange for a temporary cease-fire in the war in Gaza. For months, cease-fire talks have been at a standstill as Israel had demanded that Hamas release at least 40 hostages. Now Israeli officials say they are prepared to settle for only 33, in part because they believe that some of the 40 have died in captivity. Israel’s new offer included a 40-day cease-fire and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners, according to Britain’s foreign minister. A mid-ranking delegation from Israel is planning to fly to Cairo tomorrow to resume talks if Hamas agrees to attend.

Persons: Antony Blinken Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Cairo

☆ Israeli minister says ground offensive in Rafah will begin by Ramadan if hostages aren’t returned
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | Lauren Izso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israel will expand military operations in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah if hostages held by Hamas are not returned by the start of Ramadan, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has warned. Israel believes that 130 hostages remain in Gaza – 101 alive and 29 dead – following Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. The comments come amid stuttering talks aimed at securing the release of hostages and a longer-term ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt’s security buildup comes amid fears of the war spilling over into its territory should Israel begin its operation in Rafah. The Israeli military said it had credible evidence that Hamas had previously held hostages at the hospital, and that the bodies of deceased hostages may be at the medical complex.

Persons: CNN —, Benny Gantz, Ramadan, ” Gantz, “, Israel, ’, Israel’s, Israel –, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Mohammed Salem, Martin Griffiths, Sameh Shoukry, ” Shoukry, Abed Rahim Khatib Organizations: CNN, Hamas, United Nations, Sunday, Sky News, Anadolu, Getty, Hospital Locations: CNN — Israel, Gazan, Rafah, Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, “, Nasser, Khan, United States, ”, Egypt

☆ Egypt on edge as Israel’s war presses more than a million Palestinians up against its border
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The fortification by the border with Gaza is a “precautionary” measure ahead of an expected Israeli ground operation in Rafah, Egyptian security officials told CNN. Now, Egypt is sounding alarms again as Israel pushes more than a million Palestinians toward its territory and prepares for a military operation in Rafah. The treaty also limited the number of troops stationed on the border between Egypt and Gaza, which at the time was controlled by Israel. A satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows Rafah, Gaza, on February 3. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it agreed with Egypt on a mechanism to secure the area with only Egyptian border patrol forces on the Egyptian side of the border.

Persons: Israel’s, Gazans, Kerem, Karm, Said Khatib, Bezalel Smotrich, “, Emad Gad, ”, Winter, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, Abed Zagout, Itamar Ben Gvir, Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ahmed Abu Zeid, ” Abu Zeid, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Israel, it’s, Gad, ” Gad Organizations: CNN, Getty, Twitter, Israel, Associated Press, The New York Times, Ahram, Maxar Technologies, Maxar, Ahram Center for Political, Strategic Studies, Institute for National Security Studies, Department of, Islamic, Tel Aviv University, National, Finance, Foreign, Foreign Ministry, Alghad, Reuters, Egyptian, demilitarize, Al, News, Ahram Center Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, North Sinai, Israel, Karm Abu Salem, AFP, Cairo, Western, United States, Washington, Tel Aviv, Anadolu, Sinai, Israeli, Al

☆ Blinken says progress made on Middle East trip despite few tangible results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ankara, Turkey CNN —Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday asserted he made progress on the goals he set for a whirlwind Middle East trip as he departed with few tangible results to show for a flurry of meetings with leaders about the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, the civilian death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip is mounting, and concerns about regional conflagration loom large. There have been no further releases of any hostages held by Hamas since Israel escalated its offensive in Gaza. But we also believe that a pause could help advance that proposition as well,” Blinken said Monday. Throughout the trip, Blinken repeatedly spoke of the need to discuss the “day of” but also the “day after” for the region and Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jordan, we’ve, ” Blinken, “, Majed Al, Ansari, –, we’re, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu “, “ We’ve, Saudi Arabia –, ”, Mahmoud Abbas, Ayman Safadi Organizations: Turkey CNN —, West Bank, Tokyo, CNN, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Department, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, West Bank . Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Qatari, Qatar, Washington, Amman, Jordan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordanian

☆ Divides remain between US and Arab partners after Blinken meets counterparts in Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Amman, Jordan CNN —Sharp divides persisted between the United States and its Arab partners on their response to Israel’s war against Hamas after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Middle Eastern counterparts in Amman, Jordan on Saturday. Blinken again called for Israel to “take every possible measure” to prevent civilian casualties – a message he had relayed in meetings in Tel Aviv on Friday. Still, following his meetings in Amman, Blinken sought to emphasize the points of common interest between the US and its regional partners. “I think we all share deep concern about the plight of civilians in Gaza – men, women and children,” he said. Although the US believes the current flow of 100 to 120 trucks a day into Gaza is sustainable, “it’s challenged by the environment on the ground in South Gaza,” Satterfield said.

Persons: Jordan CNN — Sharp, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Sameh Shoukry, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Blinken, “ We’ve, David Satterfield, Satterfield, it’s, ” Satterfield, “ That’s Organizations: Jordan CNN, Hamas, Saturday, Jordanian Foreign, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Middle East Locations: Amman, Jordan, United States, Amman , Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Wadi Gaza, Rafah, ”, South Gaza

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is still closed, leaving humanitarian supplies piling up on the Egyptian side of the border. But, Israel has closed its two border crossings with Gaza and imposed a “complete siege” of the territory. That has left the Rafah crossing as the only viable outlet to get people out of the enclave – and supplies into it. Also complicating matters: border authorities have not managed to repair Israeli airstrike damage to the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing, a Palestinian official said. Abu Obaida claimed 22 of the hostages in Gaza were killed in Israeli airstrikes (CNN cannot independently verify that claim).

Persons: Sameh Shoukry, Abu Odaida, Abu Obaida, Antonio Guterres, Rishi Sunak, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Yoav Gallant, Yair Lapid, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, White Organizations: Egypt’s, UN, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, European Commission, World Health Organization, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, CNN, United Nations, Hezbollah, British, Israeli, State Department, Pentagon, Hamas Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Lebanese, Turkish, East

☆ The last remaining exit for Gazans is through Egypt. Here’s why Cairo is reluctant to open it
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Egypt is facing mounting pressure to act as neighboring Gaza gets pummeled by Israeli airstrikes after last weekend’s brutal assault on Israel by Hamas. That has left the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt as the only viable outlet to get people out of the enclave and supplies into it. But Egypt is uneasy about the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees crossing into its territory. Tens of thousands of Palestinians took refuge in Gaza, which fell under Egyptian control after the war. Israel captured the territory from Egypt in the 1967 war and began settling Jews there, but it withdrew its troops and settlements in 2005.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Biden, Abdel Fattah el, ” Sisi, ”, Israel’s, Sisi, –, ” Jordan’s King Abdullah, Israel, Celine Alkhaldi, Caroline Faraj Organizations: CNN, UN, UN’s, Organization for Migration, Jordanian, Crescent Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Jordanian, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Jordan, Egyptian, Arish, Sinai

☆ U.S. Citizens in Gaza Look for a Way Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An estimated 500 to 600 U.S. citizens live in the Gaza Strip, and some are looking for safe passage out, including over the border into Egypt, a senior U.S. official said. “We’re talking intensively with the government of Egypt, the government of Israel how we might arrange that,” the official said. “We have to carefully work with the two governments, and that’s part of what these discussions are about.” A spokesman for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. Egypt has closed the Rafah border crossing, and an Egyptian official said the government is expecting a large number of Palestinians to attempt to cross the border soon, whether or not the crossing point is reopened.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Egypt’s Foreign Locations: Gaza, Egypt, U.S, Israel, Rafah

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks before a press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. The army said it would soon go on the offensive after the biggest mobilisation in Israeli history. The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital - all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war. The Quartet, set up in 2002, consists of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia. He said Russia was in contact with the Palestinians to find out if any Russians had been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylyov, Lavrov, Sergei Lavrov, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Israel, Aboul Gheit, Hosni Mubarak’s, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Kremlin, League, Quartet, Arab League, West Bank, United Nations, European Union, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, MOSCOW, Israel, Palestinian Territories, United States, Gaza, East, Iran, Palestinian, East Jerusalem

☆ Arab League chief heads to Moscow for talks after Hamas attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press appearance at the State Department in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit headed to Moscow on Sunday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the situation in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years. After Hamas's attack on Saturday, Russia expressed grave concern, calling on both Palestinian and Israeli sides to cease violence and blamed the West for blocking the Middle East Quartet. Moscow said that a proper negotiation was necessary to provide for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 with a capital in East Jerusalem. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Antony Blinken, Nathan Howard, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Sergei Lavrov, Aboul Gheit, Hosni Mubarak’s, Moscow, Maria Zakharova, Guy Faulconbridge, Toby Chopra Organizations: Arab, U.S, State Department, REUTERS, Rights, Arab League, Russian, Hamas, Quartet, UN, Security Council, Middle, EU, Foreign, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Moscow, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Russia, East Jerusalem, United States

☆ Blue Nile: Ethiopia says it has filled the reservoir on its highly controversial megadam project
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Ethiopia announced on Sunday it had completed the fourth and final phase of filling a reservoir for its huge and controversial hydroelectric power plant on the Blue Nile, a project that Egypt and Sudan have long opposed. Construction of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began in 2011 and Ethiopia sees the project as crucial to powering its economic development. Egypt and Sudan, however, consider the project a serious threat to their vital water supplies. “Congratulations to all on the fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. With a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts, Ethiopia sees GERD as the centerpiece of its bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter.

Persons: GERD, Abiy Ahmed’s, Abdel Fattah el, Abiy, …, ” Organizations: Reuters, ” Locations: Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan

☆ Sudan conflict: The US embassy destroyed passports when it fled the violence. Some Sudanese are now 'stranded in this war zone'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Courtesy Ibrahim Khalid Ibrahim MohamedMany Sudanese have fled the fighting to neighboring countries like Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The embassy advised Sudanese visa applicants without passports to apply for a new passport with the Sudanese embassy in Cairo, despite Egyptian authorities issuing a raft of entry requirements for refugees from the country. Mohamed was among several Sudanese visa applicants who told CNN they witnessed violence while attempting to flee the country. “They had to leave because it’s a life or death matter if they stayed (in Khartoum).”Alhaj Sharafeldin, a 25-year-old university graduate, told CNN he is "stranded in this war zone." “I’m here stranded in this war zone,” he told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Ibrahim Mohamed, “, ”, Haitham Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mohamed, Ibrahim Khalid Ibrahim Mohamed, Mohamed, Fayez Nureldine, Arwa Idris, Idris, Alhaj, “ It’s, ” Sabah Ahmed, Zeyazen, Kareem, Renad, Sabah Ahmed, Madani, Ahmed, Ahmed’s, Abdelazim Alhajaa, ” Alhajaa, ” Ahmed Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, Saudi, Hadath, Television, International Organization for Migration, American, Ministry, US State Department, Getty, UN, Sudanese Locations: Khartoum, Nuzha, Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United States, Kabul, Cairo, Sudan, Saudi, Port Sudan, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, AFP, New York, “, Wadi Halfa, Iowa, Bahri, Omdurman, Columbus , Ohio

☆ Gulf states have given billions in aid to Egypt. Now they want to see returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

He was referring to the tens of billions of dollars in bailouts his country has received from the wealthy Gulf monarchies over the past decade. Many of those assets have long been under the control of Egypt’s military, an economic behemoth and the backbone of Sisi’s power. This time, however, Gulf Arab allies – especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – want to see returns. Last year alone, Gulf states pledged $22 billion to Egypt as it faced an economic crisis caused partly by the fallout from the Ukraine war, Reuters reported. Analysts say that Egypt was pushed by Gulf states to accept the IMF’s conditions, especially those on privatization.

☆ Morocco’s historic World Cup achievement hailed worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Moroccan flag was displayed in cities all around the world on Saturday, as fans celebrated the Atlas Lions’ historic 1-0 victory over Portugal. The qualification of the Atlas Lions for the semi-final of the 2022 world is that of all Africa. Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah tweeted: “Congratulations to the Moroccan national team for their historic qualification to the World Cup semi-finals,” alongside an emoji of the Moroccan flag. “CONTINENTAL HISTORY!… What an achievement by the Atlas Lions,” the Confederation of African Football tweeted. !” in reference to her song used as during the 2010 World Cup, with a clapping emoji and a Moroccan flag.

☆ The 'energy crisis is also an opportunity,' president of COP27 and Egypt’s foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe 'energy crisis is also an opportunity,' president of COP27 and Egypt’s foreign minister saysSameh Shoukry, president of COP27 and Egypt’s Foreign Minister, says the “energy crisis is also an opportunity.”

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