Talk shows cover Gaza ceasefire negotiations and potential sugar price cap

Gaza continued to dominate the airwaves last night as the truce neared its final hours. Palestinian Health Minister Mai El Kaila was in the Masaa DMC studio to share the latest updates on the humanitarian situation on the ground. Around 60% of infrastructure has been destroyed, including 280k housing units having suffered damage, whilst 26 of a total 35 hospitals stopped functioning, she told show host Eman El Hosary (watch, runtime: 6:18). We have more on the story above, in War Watch.

Israeli ships are welcome to re-route, says Moussa: The war on Gaza has forced other regional actors such as the Houthis to intervene, seizing an Israeli-linked ship off the coast of Yemen this week, Ahmed Moussa said on Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 2:39). Israel could potentially halt its vessels traveling through the Suez Canal and instead travel southwards around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, to which Moussa responded: “We don’t want you to cross the Suez Canal, nor our land in general.”

Truce extension will rely on how many women and children hostages are still held by Hamas: Al Hayah Al Youm’s Mohamed Sherdy talked to the head of the State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, about the potential outcomes of the talks that were ongoing last night to extend the ceasefire by another two days (watch, runtime: 16:46). A truce extension is a “very likely” possibility, but reaching an agreement on the extension and its duration “depends on the number of children and women detained by Hamas,” he said.

Sugar price cap only a temporary solution, says MP: Ahmed Moussa invited House Local Administration Committee chairman Ahmad El Segini onto Alaa Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 3:39) to discuss parliament’s recent meeting to address the spiraling sugar prices. When asked about the idea of a price cap, El Segini replied that resorting to a price cap would only lead to the development of a black market, but it could be enforced “as a temporary measure.” What is more important, he emphasized, was strengthening the role of regulatory bodies to better control the situation.

Remember: A sugar supply gap has pushed prices to soar up to EGP 50 per kilo this week and pushed the Supply Ministry to consider introducing sugar price controls and tap into its reserves to help fill the gap. Sugar was trading at EGP 42 per kilo yesterday.