Egypt accuses Israeli Finance Minister of ‘sabotaging’ Gaza ceasefire talks

Cairo: Egypt has said that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is “sabotaging” Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo.

In a statement released on Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Smotrich “continues to make irresponsible and inflammatory statements, which only reveal a hunger for killing and destruction, and sabotage any attempt to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Smotrich recently called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to send an Israeli representative to Cairo for hostage talks.

Egypt is hosting new rounds of negotiations, under Egyptian-Qatari sponsorship, with the goal of bringing calm to the Gaza Strip and releasing Palestinian prisoners and Israeli detainees.