It was another night all about the war on Gaza, as the nation’s talking heads fixated on remarks made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich partially blaming Egypt for what happened on 7 October, claiming that Hamas smuggled its weapons through Egypt.

“Such remarks make the situation more complex and heighten tension in the region,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told El Hekaya’s Amr Adib (watch, runtime: 14:48). The Israeli minister also called on the Israeli delegation heading to Cairo today to partake in ceasefire negotiations to not engage in the negotiations, Abu Zeid added. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also spoke to Bel Waraqa Wal Qalam’s Nashat Al Dahi on the matter (watch, runtime: 12:29).

Smotrich’s remarks received attentions from: Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 14:16 | 5:43), Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 11:58), and Alaa Masouleety (watch, runtime: 4:01 | 4:44).

** We have the full story + the Egyptian response in the news well, above.

ALSO ON THE AIRWAVES- Interior Ministry cracks down on USD black market trading. “I support authorities taking the necessary action with [people partaking in black market USD trading] but there have been multiple complaints about authorities arresting anyone in possession of USD,” Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 6:27 | 1:11). She pointed to the need to differentiate between possession and trading, otherwise “people will start to panic.” El Hadidi believes taking legal action against those trading hard currency illegally isn’t enough to put an end to black market trading, but the key is through bridging the gap between the official and unofficial exchange rates. Lamees also spoke to legal expert Ossama Ebeid about the legality of possessing foreign currencies (watch, runtime: 8:00).

Tags: