NightWatch

Egypt ramps up crackdown on exiled human rights defenders, says report

Activists abroad suffer surveillance and forms of persecution, including reprisals against families, according to two rights groups. Egyptian security forces are escalating their persecution of exiled human rights defenders in an attempt to quash dissent abroad, a new report has revealed….

Egypt: Alaa Abdel-Fattah’s mother says she will refuse food until his release

Leila Soueif launches hunger strike a day after prominent activist was refused release despite completing a five-year prison sentence Laila Soueif, the mother of British–Egyptian citizen Alaa Abd el-Fattah, has launched a hunger strike to protest against his continued imprisonment and says…

Egypt’s military ties with Somalia defy Ethiopian ambitions and tilt power dynamic

Analysts say troop deployment could shift the balance of power in the Horn of Africa as Addis Ababa seeks to secure a foothold on the Red Sea A military pact between Cairo and Mogadishu has heightened tensions with Ethiopia, with…

Egypt had blocked Gaza cross-border tunnels before 7 October, says Israeli army

Shafts of nine tunnels found under the Philadelphi Corridor were closed before the war, contrary to Netanyahu’s claims. An Israeli army investigation has found that the nine tunnels that cross the Gaza border into Sinai had been blocked by Egypt prior to the 7…

US: Critics urge Congress to block release of $320m in military aid to Egypt

US military financing for Egypt is set to reach $1.3bn in 2024, as Israel’s war on Gaza continues The Biden administration has decided to release $320m in military aid to Egypt – a package previously contingent on improving human rights…

Investment deals worth $200m signed during Sisi’s visit to Turkey

In addition to two industrial zones, deals in finance, energy, environment, urban planning, and health were inked A Turkish–Egyptian company signed two deals with the Egyptian government to invest $200m for the development of two industrial zones in the country during a…

US rebukes sceptics of ceasefire talks as diplomats meet in Egypt

White House says negotiations are progressing, but shifting positions from US and Israel have forced a Hamas boycott The Biden administration rebuked sceptics of its efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, saying a flurry of media leaks suggesting that negotiations had…

Egyptian ports become ‘key supply points’ for Israel during Gaza war

Report tracking movement of ships documents regular transportation of goods from Egyptian ports to Haifa and Ashdod after October 7 Egyptian seaports have turned into important stations for cargo and cement ships transporting goods to and from Israel during the Gaza war period,…

Algeria’s Tebboune says army ready to build hospitals in Gaza once Egypt border reopens 

Algerian president vows to send troops to ‘help rebuild what the Zionists destroyed’  The Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared that the North African country’s military was ready to enter Gaza to build three hospitals within 20 days once the border with Egypt would reopen. …

Qatar, Egypt, US invite Israel and Hamas to resume Gaza ceasefire talks

The mediating nations urge Israel and Hamas to resume their negotiations amid fears of a wider conflagration in the region. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have called on Israel and Hamas to resume talks to reach a ceasefire in…