Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Saturday appealed to US President Donald Trump to “exert effort and pressure” to achieve a truce in Gaza.
His comments at the Arab summit meeting in Baghdad, which included harsh criticism of Israel and coincided with the resumption of negotiations in Qatar to reach a Gaza truce, according to sources.
They told The National that the negotiations brought together teams from Israel and Hamas, as well as US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
They, however, pointed out that the stakeholders were represented by midlevel officials, suggesting that the possibility of a breakthrough may be distant.
“I call on President Trump in his capacity as a leader who seeks to establish peace to make every effort and exert every pressure to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza as a prelude to the launching of a serious political process in which he plays the role of mediator and sponsor and which leads to a final settlement,” Mr El Sisi said at the Baghdad summit.
This is not the first time that the Egyptian leader had urged Mr Trump to work towards an end to the war in Gaza, followed by negotiations on a settlement of the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict.
But his comments on Saturday took additional significance given the gravity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands are facing starvation as a result of Israel's decision more than two months ago to stop the entry of relief aid.
His comments also follow Israel's announcement earlier this week that it was launching the “initial stages” of another Gaza operation, which has claimed dozens of lives since Friday, according to the health authorities in Gaza.
Trump's tour
They come a day after Mr Trump wrapped up a milestone regional tour of the Middle East in which he said “good things” would come to Gaza within the next month and that he wanted to “help out” Palestinians as he acknowledged that “a lot of people are starving in Gaza”.
Mr El Sisi made no mention in his Saturday comments of the proposal first made by Mr Trump in January that he would like Gaza's 2.3 million residents to resettle away from the enclave, chiefly in Egypt and Jordan, before the US takes over the coastal strip and turns it into a resort.
Egypt has rejected the proposal, arguing that, if implemented, it would hollow out the Palestinian cause and pose a serious threat to its national security. Its position has led to tension with the Trump administration, with Mr El Sisi cancelling a trip to Washington that, according to sources at the time, had been due in February.
Mr Trump's tour took him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Egypt and US have been close allies for close to 50 years, with the most populous Arab nation receiving billions of dollars in military and economic aid over the decades. While the pro-government media in Egypt has been sharply critical of Mr Trump's Gaza proposal, Mr El Sisi's public pronouncements on the issue have been carefully measured, consistently stating his faith that the American President has what it takes to bring peace to the region.
However, his comments on Israel, were by far the most scathing to date.
The Palestinians in Gaza, he said, were subjected to “genocide” by Israel, with which Egypt signed a US-sponsored peace treaty in 1979.
“The strip has been subjected to a large-scale destruction operation designed to make it unfit for habitation in a bid to force residents to leave to escape the horrors of war,” he said.
“Israel's war machine,” he added, “did not leave a building standing, showed no mercy to the children or the elderly and used starvation and the scarcity of health services as a weapon”.
Relations between Egypt and Israel – which fought each other in four full-fledged wars between 1948 and 1973 – have been fraught with tension since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023. Relations soured further when Israel in May 2024 captured a narrow strip that runs the entire length of the Egypt-Gaza border on the Palestinian side.
Israel has, at the same time, taken over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only entry and exit point for the territory that is not controlled by Israel.
Egypt reacted angrily to the Israeli move, declaring it was joining South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice which accuses Israel of genocide. It has also, according to media reports, declined to send a new ambassador to Israel or accept Israel's new head of mission in Egypt.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
