Gas Shortage Looms, Says von der Leyen

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated on Sunday that a gas shortage is looming and that a ceasefire must be reached quickly in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, as reported by Reuters.

“A gas shortage is threatening, and we cannot accept that,” von der Leyen said to reporters in Cairo after signing a strategic partnership agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

“It is now critically important to urgently achieve a ceasefire that will free the hostages and allow more humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza,” she added.

In turn, al-Sisi stated that Egypt and European leaders have agreed to reject the Israeli military operation in Rafah. “(The operation) will double the humanitarian disaster that the peaceful residents of the Gaza Strip are suffering, in addition to the consequences of this action aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause, which Egypt categorically rejects,” he said.

Earlier, it was announced that Egypt would receive a €7.4 billion EU funding package as part of efforts to curb the flow of migrants to Europe, as well as to improve relations with the North African country.