Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

CAIRO - Egypt's foreign minister met a Palestine Liberation Organisation delegation Thursday, calling for "unity" and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

The conflict began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering massive retaliation.

During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty "reaffirmed Egypt's supportive stance towards the Palestinian Authority", his office said in a statement.

The minister also reiterated "Egypt's rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands", it added.

Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing post-war Gaza under PA control.

Fatah, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people.

It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.

On Thursday, Abdelatty also discussed with the PLO delegation Egypt's efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire remained close but added it may not happen before President Joe Biden hands over to Donald Trump.

"I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have," said Blinken, who leaves office with Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Hamas said at the end of last week that indirect negotiations in Doha had resumed, while Israel said it had authorised negotiators to continue the talks in the Qatari capital.

A previous round of mediation in December ended with both sides blaming the other for the impasse, with Hamas accusing Israel of setting "new conditions" and Israel accusing Hamas of throwing up "obstacles" to a deal.