Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, announced on Friday that he met with the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi to discuss efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UAE normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords and maintains close relations with Washington, which has been actively pushing for an end to the conflict that began with the Hamas attack in October 2023.
Lapid posted a photograph of himself with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “With my friend, Emirati Foreign Minister ABZ, last (Thursday) night in Abu Dhabi. We discussed developments in the region and efforts toward an agreement in Gaza and the return of the hostages.”
The official UAE news agency WAM confirmed the meeting between Lapid and Sheikh Abdullah, noting that they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, including international efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. WAM did not mention a meeting with the UAE’s President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which Lapid had alluded to in an earlier post on X.
In a separate post on X, Lapid shared an extract from an interview with Sky News Arabia, where he emphasized, “Everyone who has influence, every Arab country, every country in the region should do its best to push Hamas to accept the agreement. It is for the good of the people of Gaza. It’s for the good of the people of Israel. It’s for the good of the hostages, of course, and it’s also for the good of the entire region.”
Hamas stated on Friday that it was holding consultations with other Palestinian groups regarding a truce proposal, in what could be a sign of preparations for ceasefire negotiations. Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump urged Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire, asserting that it had Israel’s backing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington on Monday, where he is expected to engage in further discussions with President Trump regarding the ongoing conflict.
The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the assault, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military states are deceased.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has reportedly killed at least 57,130 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures reliable.
