CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt and the European Union have urged swift action to begin the second phase of the US‑brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, stressing the need for a new Board of Peace to oversee the fragile process.
At a joint press conference in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the body should start work “without further delay.” Abdelatty added: “We are moving in all directions in order to start executing the specifics related to the second phase.”
What Phase Two Entails
Under US President Donald Trump’s plan, the second phase includes:
- Establishing a technocratic Palestinian government.
- Disarmament of Hamas.
- Deployment of an international stabilisation force.
- Further Israeli troop pullbacks.
- Launch of reconstruction projects in Gaza.
Humanitarian Concerns
Kallas denounced both Hamas’ refusal to disarm and Israel’s restrictions on NGOs, warning that aid cannot reach Gaza at the necessary scale. “There’s no justification for the humanitarian situation in Gaza to have deteriorated to the current level,” she said.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry:
- More than 400 people have been killed since the ceasefire began in October.
- The overall Palestinian death toll since October 2023 has risen to 71,391.
Background
The ceasefire’s first phase began in October 2025, shortly after the two‑year anniversary of Hamas’ initial attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Since then, all but one of the 251 hostages taken have been released — alive or dead — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Egypt’s Position
Abdelatty said the US will soon announce details of the Gaza Peace Board and technocrat committee. He also emphasized Egypt’s opposition to any steps that would deepen the divide between Gaza and the West Bank, underscoring Cairo’s role as a mediator.
Rafah Crossing
Discussions also touched on potential EU cooperation in managing the Rafah crossing, where the bloc previously played a role under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access to facilitate aid delivery.