Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kan’ani says that the diplomatic talks between Tehran and Cairo are still underway, just as before the passing of the late Iranian president and foreign minister.

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Carved 3,400 years ago, it was stolen from the Temple of Ramses in the southern Egyptian site of Abydos over 30 years ago.

Shaaban Abdel Gawad, who heads Egypt’s antiquities repatriation agency, said the piece is estimated to have been stolen in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

It is now in the possession of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Cairo where it’s being restored.

The story of its recovery involved eagle eyes trained on the antiquities and art markets in Europe, where suddenly the statue fragment appeared on auction in London 10 years ago before being transferred to Switzerland.

“This head is part of a group of statues depicting King Ramses II seated alongside a number of Egyptian deities,” Gawad told Reuters.

Working alongside Swiss officials, Gawad and his colleagues were able to establish rightful ownership, and the artifact was seized for transfer to Cairo.

Perhaps no other nation has had to recover more artifacts from plunderers and illegal traders than Egypt, but they’ve become quite adept at it over the decades.

In a time when men lived to be 40 years old, Ramses II, aka the ‘Ozymandius’ of Percy Shelly’s poem, ruled for 40 years until his death at 91. It’s believed he sired nearly 100 children—and outlived almost all of them as well as many of his grandchildren.

Temples, cities, and statues were constructed across the realm in his honor as he extended the borders from as far south as Nubia, to as far north as Canaan and Phoenicia.

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Despite the record rise in the number of Palestinian casualties — more than 23,000 killed, mostly children and women, and 60,000 wounded — Cairo seems to be hiding behind official statements denouncing the Israeli aggression. With growing Qatari and Turkish involvement, and the emergence of strong support from South Africa and Latin American countries for Gaza, the Egyptian position is surrounded by many doubts and questions about why Cairo is tightening the grip on the Palestinians, restricting support campaigns and aid for the Gaza Strip, and trying to besiege the resistance groups and reduce their options.

This is the only crossing that is under the control of an Arab country on the border with the occupied Palestinian territories, and which is not subject to the control of Israel (at least in theory).

According to the NGO Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, hundreds of trucks of food and humanitarian aid are accumulating in Al-Arish, in northern Sinai near the Rafah border crossing, amid demands for the Egyptian authorities to open the land crossing permanently to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe getting even worse. Cairo blames Israel’s stubbornness regarding the entry of aid convoys. Egyptian officials say that they cannot guarantee the safety of those responsible for the aid. Such Israeli inflexibility has affected journalists, human rights and relief organizations, international solidarity delegations and public figures.

Egyptian security agents arrested four foreign activists, including former US Congress candidate John Parker, after they organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain the necessary permits for the Conscience of the World Caravan to mobilize to Rafah, which was called for by the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate. The Egyptian authorities obstructed the convoy, which was scheduled to leave for the Rafah crossing on 24 November, amid leaks that those responsible for it were subjected to security pressure, causing the convoy’s departure to be postponed indefinitely.

Despite the officially announced support for the people of Gaza, Palestinian patients complain about the slow process of getting treatment abroad, which involves obtaining approval from the Egyptians to cross the border and securing ambulances to transport patients to hospitals. Egyptian television channels broadcast daily images of a queue of ambulances in front of the Rafah crossing. There is also a strong propaganda campaign talking about the role of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in supporting the Palestinian cause and saying that Egypt tops the list of donors of international aid provided to Palestine.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza complains of the inadequacy of the mechanism for transporting the wounded abroad, which includes sending a list of names and waiting for approval from the Egyptians. So far, only 413 people have left Gaza through the Rafah crossing for treatment, which is less than one percent of the total number of those wounded since the beginning of the Israeli genocide.

Social media shares video clips and testimonies documenting what stranded Palestinians at the Rafah crossing are exposed to. Palestinians say that they have to pay between two and seven thousand US dollars per person to cross to Egypt. BBC Arabic News Network noted this on its website under the headline “Thousands of dollars in bribes to exit the Rafah crossing”. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, it has provided an electronic mechanism to register Egyptian citizens wishing to return from Gaza, and that any other method that is being talked about falls within fraud and deception.

According to the independent Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, the worst part is the arrests of dozens of Egyptian demonstrators, and renewing their imprisonment, following their demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians. Moreover, those in charge of relief organisations and charities have complained about the difficulties in receiving donations to support the Palestinian people or collecting medical and pharmaceutical aid to send to Gaza.

One Egyptian relief official, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, said that they had received instructions from security agents not to advertise for Gaza relief, or launch humanitarian campaigns to support the Palestinians. Charitable donations generally face harsh legal restrictions in Egypt, and require official and security approvals, but with the start of the Israeli offensive, those affiliated with the authorities, such as the Long Live Egypt Fund, took the initiative to open bank accounts for donations.

The Egyptian regime has also maintained a media blackout on events in Gaza. It did not change the programming or news map on its official and private channels. What’s more, Al-Sisi personally is showing more interest in the Egypt football team’s preparations for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. Last month, the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University cancelled a seminar to discuss the political repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, without giving any reasons.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders accuses Egypt of being complicit in the siege of Gaza, with no intention of opening the Rafah border crossing to journalists. The group noted that many journalists living in Cairo have been told to ask for approval from Israel to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, which is supposed to be under the control of the Egyptian authorities. Furthermore, the group obtained an audio recording of Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry saying that, “Any unilateral action by Egypt regarding allowing journalists to enter Gaza may be considered by Israel as inappropriate… It may have negative consequences on other arrangements between Egypt and Israel.”

In addition to the ongoing media blockade, though, it seems that there was a green light for media figures close to the Egyptian regime, most notably Ibrahim Issa, to attack Hamas and accuse it of committing war crimes against the Palestinians and of being responsible for the destruction of Gaza.

Political researcher Mohamed Annan explained this by saying that Egypt fears that any solidarity with Gaza will produce an active popular mood that could expand across the country. The authorities are concerned that such activities will cross red lines and become the nucleus for building a wave of popular protests targeting the regime itself, which is a nightmare for the authorities with every mass gathering, whether political or sports related.

According to Annan, this tendency reinforces the desire to avoid a clash with Israel, Egypt’s ally, and the US, Egypt’s supporter, and a wish to identify with the Saudi-UAE vision specifically targeting Hamas, in the hope of making political and economic gains, including loan and aid packages. The Egyptian regime has a pre-set position about the Palestinian resistance, mainly Hamas with its close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian political and media discourse has long described as a “terrorist” group, especially after the overthrow of democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi by the Sisi-led military coup in mid-2013.

A former Egyptian diplomat, who also asked to remain anonymous, commented by saying that Cairo’s desire to play the role of mediator between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian resistance regarding the prisoner exchange issue, imposes on it a commitment to neutrality. However, the Egyptian regime’s calculations cannot ignore the Muslim Brotherhood roots of Hamas on the one hand, and fears of getting entangled in external issues, even if they are border affairs of a security nature, on the other. This has led to minimising the Egyptian role, tightening the noose on the Palestinians, and not moving effectively to stop the war on Gaza, or even opening the Rafah crossing permanently for the flow of humanitarian aid.

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“No foreign passport holder will be able to leave the Gaza Strip until wounded people who need to be evacuated from hospitals in north Gaza are transported through the Rafah crossing” to Egypt, the official said on condition of anonymity.

An Egyptian security source confirmed to AFP that “no wounded person or holder of a foreign passport arrived at the Egyptian terminal” of Rafah on Saturday.

He said the evacuation was suspended “after the bombing of ambulances transporting injured people who were on their way to the Egyptian terminal.”

On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had struck an ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, saying it was “used by a Hamas terrorist cell”.

At least 15 people were killed and 60 wounded in the strike, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Israel launched a war against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attacks which claimed 1,400 lives — mostly civilians — according to Israel.

The Hamas-run health ministry says air, land and sea attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians.

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The project is expected to handle 400,000 containers annually with an investment cost of $100 million to be borne by MEDLOG, according to Minister of Transport Kamil El-Wazir.

The new deal coms as part of wider national plans to develop 15 logistic areas and dry ports in various areas across the country, the Cabinet explained.

Based on its LinkedIn profile, MEDLOG is an independent inland transportation and logistics provider, present in over 80 countries with more than 10,000 employees.

The company offers door-to-door tailored solutions as well as large off-dock storage facilities to an ever-growing customer base.

Another dry port in Borg El-Arab

The land and dry ports authority also signed an MoU with Ocean Express Shipping company to study, construct, and operate Borg El-Arab dry port.

The new port will be built on 120 feddans in close vicinity to the railway station Borg El-Arab city and 56 kilometres away from the Port of Alexandria, according to Minister El-Wazir.

The project will be executed in two phases.

The first phase, which will be built on 40 percent of its total allocated area, includes a new train station, a handling area, and half of the container area, along with customs inspection and other government services offices, El-Wazir explained.

He projected that the superstructure and infrastructure of the project would be completed in 12 months at a cost of EGP 780 million ($24.23 million).

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The demand for gold bars and coins in Egypt surged by more than 300 percent on a yearly basis to over 10 tons in Q2 2023, according to a report by the World Gold Council (WGC) released on Tuesday.

As per the report, Egypt was the most significant contributor to the growth of investments in gold bars and coins in the Middle East, accounting for nearly a third of the region’s total demand of 32 tons.

The total demand for gold in Egypt for the first half of 2023 is close to 2022’s annual total, as Egyptians resort to the yellow metal as a safe haven to hedge against the inflation exacerbated by the devaluation of the local currency, the report’s data showed.

The Egyptian pound exchange rate against the USD has undergone frequent changes since March 2022 on the heels of the Russian-Ukrainian war, losing over 75 percent of its value.

The USD/EGP rate jumped from EGP 15.7 to EGP 18.56 in March 2022, then moved gradually to EGP 19.66 until 28 October, when it surged to EGP 23.15. By March 2023, the USD stood at about EGP 30.9, where it remains today.

“A relaxation of restrictions on hand-carried gold has eased supply conditions in the local market and this is reflected in lower premiums on gold investment products. Demand remains robust in the face of a challenging economic backdrop and potential further currency depreciation,”  read the WGC report.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decree on 11 May exempting travellers carrying gold from customs duties and other fees – except value-added taxes (VAT) – for a period of six months. The decision was meant to address the shortage in gold supply in the local market, which resulted in a surge in prices.

Gold prices have been stable since the beginning of July. They have been steadily continuing on a declining trajectory since May. The price of 24-carat gold reached EGP 2,445.75 per gram on Monday, 31 July, down 7.7 percent compared to its level on 1 June and 17.6  percent compared to 1 May level.

Global demand stays solid

The demand for gold by central banks declined globally during the second quarter of 2023. However, the impact on the total demand was marginal.

In Q2 2023, gold demand (excluding over-the-counter, or OTC market) dropped slightly by two percent annually to 921 tons, driven by a marked deceleration in net central bank buying compared to above-average purchases in Q2 2022.

The total global demand, if OTC and gold coming from existing stockpiles (stock flows) are included, will increase by seven percent yearly to 1,255 tons in Q2 2023.

OTC (also known as “off-exchange trading”) occurs directly between two parties, unlike exchange trading.

In global markets, gold for December delivery rose $9.30 to $2,009.20 an ounce on Monday.

In June, WGC reported that central banks’ official gold reserves declined by 71 tons in April mainly due to Turkey’s selling of 81 tons on its domestic market to meet surging local demand.

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The two leaders reiterated their mutual political will to enhance the bilateral relations, politically, economically, and culturally, based on the common desire to achieve their mutual interests, and the prosperity of the two brotherly peoples. This will also actively contribute to the stability, peace, and security of the region, as well as the mutual ability to deal with common challenges.

The two leaders discussed the means to overcome the current stalemate in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations.

In this regard, they agreed on the following points:

1- To initiate expedited negotiations to finalize the agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the filling of the GERD and the rules of its operations, stressing they will do all the necessary efforts to finalize it in 4 months.

2- During the period of these negotiations, Ethiopia has indicated its commitment, during the filling of the GERD within the hydrological year 2023-2024, not to cause significant harm to Egypt and Sudan, so that the water needs of both countries are well provided.

Egypt and Sudan have been calling on Ethiopia to sign a legally-binding agreement to ensure the preservation of their water interests and people’s rights.

The two downstream countries have urged Ethiopia to refrain from unilateral measures with regard to the mega dam, warning of the consequences of filling and operating the dam unilaterally before a binding deal is signed.

However, Ethiopia has rejected the signing of such a deal and has continued its dam filling and operation plans over the past years. Ethiopia is also preparing to implement the fourth filling of the dam’s 74-billion-cubic-meter reservoir during the coming period despite the two countries’ objections.

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The decision has caused some controversy online.

While Egypt’s economy is collapsing, the only policy Egypt is able to pass is regulating what dogs you can own https://t.co/JjU6XcHkj1

— Dr Andreas Krieg (@andreas_krieg) June 13, 2023

In May, Egypt’s House of Representatives approved a bill regulating the ownership of dangerous dogs and animals including imposing a fine on anyone bringing a dog into a public place without a license and ten years in jail for anyone who assaults another person with a “hazardous animal or dog.”

Owners of dogs should pay between $32 and $1,600 to register their animals and put a metal tag on their collars.

In March a pit bull in Sheikh Zayed City attacked a man living in a residential complex, severing tendons, and nerves and putting him into a coma.

Mohamed Moheb, a banker, was later pronounced dead.

According to local media reports, the dog had previously attacked another neighbor in the same residential complex.

At the time, some social media users were calling for tougher regulations on dogs, whilst others called for better regulations on how owners treat their dogs.

Dog attacks have been increasing. In 2021, 11 people were taken to hospital for treatment after being mauled by a dog. Egypt also has thousands of stray dogs, many of whom have attacked people. In 2019, Egypt’s Health and Population Ministry reported 6,241 cases of people being hospitalized in four months.

Dogs are becoming more and more popular as pets in Egypt. Famous real estate businessman, Hassan Morsedy, has even made an Instagram account for his micro bully, a breed not on the approved list.

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