El-Sisi, Petro urge swift Gaza reconstruction, back peace efforts
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Egypt and Colombia reaffirm commitment to the Gaza agreement, with Presidents Sisi and Petro calling for rapid reconstruction and sustained peace efforts.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi receives Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Cairo, Egypt, October 31, 2025 (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Colombian President Gustavo Petro underscored on Friday the importance of full commitment to implementing the Gaza agreement and accelerating the launch of the reconstruction process in the besieged Strip.
The two leaders met in Cairo in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty, Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, Colombian Ambassador Luz Elena Martínez Casab, and President Petro’s Middle East Adviser Victor Decouria.
Presidential Spokesperson Mohamed El-Shenawy said the meeting featured in-depth discussions on prospects for cooperation in key sectors, including trade, renewable energy, aviation, and culture, as well as ways to strengthen expertise exchange in combating transnational organized crime and terrorism.
According to El-Shenawy, President Petro expressed his appreciation for the growing bilateral relations between Egypt and Colombia, praising the significant rise in trade volume over the past five years and calling for further expansion of joint commercial partnerships. He also congratulated President el-Sisi on the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, describing Egypt’s heritage as “a source of pride for all humanity.”
Commendable Colombian effort on Gaza
The two presidents also exchanged views on regional developments, with el-Sisi briefing Petro on the outcomes of the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit and the latest progress in implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The Egyptian leader commended Colombia’s humanitarian initiative to send aid to Gaza, while Petro, in turn, lauded Egypt’s intensive diplomatic efforts to end the war and contain the humanitarian catastrophe, reaffirming his country’s readiness to contribute actively to the agreement’s implementation and to continue humanitarian assistance.
President el-Sisi announced Egypt’s intention to host the International Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza in November 2025. Both leaders discussed regional and international crises, stressing the importance of peaceful solutions, respect for state sovereignty, and the protection of peoples’ resources. They agreed to continue coordination and intensify cooperation across fields of mutual interest.
'Israel' persistently violating Gaza ceasefire
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that the Israeli occupation carried out artillery shelling and opened heavy fire from helicopters east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, marking a new breach of the ceasefire agreement.
Eyewitnesses confirmed the use of live ammunition and shelling in residential areas, as explosions were heard across the eastern districts of the city.
Medical sources reported that a young man was martyred after the occupation bombed his home in the Musbah neighborhood of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis.
Another young man succumbed to wounds sustained earlier in an Israeli airstrike targeting a tent sheltering displaced civilians in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
