Egypt's head of the General Authority for Information stated, as reported by "Cairo News," that "attempts to undermine Egypt's role may lead it to withdraw entirely from mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas conflict." Egypt rejected a report by CNN suggesting it altered the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal, asserting it had sent a letter to the American news network demanding the immediate publication of Cairo's response.
The head of the General Authority for Information, Diaa Rashwan, claimed that the CNN report was "mere allegations devoid of any information or facts, and not based on any credible journalistic sources in line with internationally recognized journalistic standards."
CNN cited unnamed sources claiming "changes made by Egypt, of which details were not previously disclosed, resulted in a wave of anger and accusations among U.S., Qatari, and Israeli officials, bringing the ceasefire talks to a standstill." Rashwan challenged CNN to "attribute the allegations published to specific official American or Israeli sources" and urged the network and all international media to "verify the accuracy of what they publish regarding such highly sensitive issues, and not base some allegations on unidentified sources they label as informed."
He announced that "Egypt categorically rejects these allegations, and the Information Authority has sent an official letter to CNN outlining this rejection and its basis, demanding the immediate publication of the Egyptian response." Rashwan added that the website had recently published parts of this response containing some of the observations included in the statement.
He emphasized that "Egypt's role in mediating the ceasefire and the release of detainees in the Gaza Strip and prisoners in Israel came at the repeated requests and insistence of Israel and the United States to undertake this role, acknowledging Egypt's experience and professionalism in managing such negotiations, especially given its multiple successful previous experiences between Israel and Hamas."
Rashwan noted, "The false narratives and lies being propagated about Egypt's role can only be seen as an attempt to punish Egypt for its principled positions regarding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people while playing a mediating role. In this context, Egypt's recent insistence on the presence of Palestinian elements on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, prior to its operation, and its non-recognition of the Israeli occupation's legitimacy over that side, reflect a stance aligned with international law and humanitarian law, as demonstrated by its collaboration with South Africa in a case before the International Court of Justice against the Israeli occupation forces' practices in Gaza."
The head of the General Authority for Information asserted that "continuing attempts to undermine and demean Egypt's mediation efforts with unfounded claims will only complicate the situation in Gaza and the entire region further, and may lead Egypt to decide on a complete withdrawal from its current mediation role in the ongoing conflict."
Rashwan held "concerned parties, especially those spreading lies about the Egyptian stance, fully responsible for the unprecedented humanitarian disasters, the genocide in Gaza, the deaths and injuries of thousands of innocent Palestinians, their displacement, starvation, and the destruction of everything in the Strip, in addition to the loss of Israeli detainees' lives due to the aggressive Israeli military operation against the area."
