Diplomatic and on-the-ground developments in Gaza remained the focus of last night’s talk shows, but some of the talking heads also explored the repercussions for Egypt’s economy.

The situation in Gaza: The nation’s hosts continued to discuss Israel’s seemingly indiscriminate war on Gaza and the mounting humanitarian crises facing its people, with Kelma Akhira focussing on 12 hospitals in the enclave that have been forced to close (watch, runtime: 6:34). Al Hayah Al Youm discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza (watch, runtime: 15:12), while Masaa DMC highlighted the hostage exchange that took place between Hamas and Israel (watch, runtime: 9:23).

What the Arab world can do: Palestinian National Initiative head Mustafa Barghouti told viewers on Kelma Akhira that Arab nations can support the Palestinian people by sending a joint Arab aid convoy into Gaza in the face of Israeli objections and threats and threaten to cease oil exports until the conflict in Gaza ends (watch, runtime: 8:03).

Arab Summit in KSA?Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki called into Kelma Akhira to say that preparations are underway to hold an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia next month to discuss ending the war on Gaza (watch, runtime: 11:09). Ala Masouleety also covered the potential summit (watch, runtime: 2:24).

How will the war affect oil prices and the Egyptian economy? Many of last night’s hosts explored the repercussions of the war in Gaza on oil prices and the Egyptian economy, with economist Medhat Nafei telling El Hekaya that the local economy is expected to incur direct losses of between USD 2.6-3.6 bn this fiscal year because of the war. Every increase in oil prices costs the budget, he said, adding that our tourism industry will also witness losses of USD 723 mn this fiscal year due to the departure of more than 700k Israeli tourists from the country and exports will experience a USD 1.4 bn decline (watch, runtime: 3:02 | 3:14). We have more about the repercussions of the war on our economy in the news well, above.

Also on the airwaves last night:

  • Car import scheme: Renewing the car import initiative presents an “opportunity” for Egyptian expats given the jump in car prices in the local market, Egyptian Association of Automobile Manufacturers head Khaled Saad said on Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 6:05).
  • Blackouts provoke ire of MPs: MPs demanded that the government provide reasons for the extension of power outages for longer periods of time. Power outages have reached four hours in some governorates, pro-government party Mostaqbal Watan MP Mahmoud Qassem told El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 3:00).
  • New projects open in Sinai today, after investments of EGP 900 bn in development following a campaign to fight a terrorist insurgency in the area. Lamees El Hadidi covered the story on Kelma Akhira, reiterating the Egyptian refusal of suggestions that Palestinians could be displaced in the area from Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza (watch, runtime: 2:11).
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