Egypt, Israel Agree on Flight Path Between Cairo, Gaza

Egypt and Israel have reached a compromise on flight paths between Cairo and Gaza under Palestinian self-rule, ending a three-month dispute, Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported on Sunday.

The civil aviation authorities (CAA) of the two countries have agreed after several rounds of talks that the flight path to and from Gaza will now pass 24 kilometers north of Egypt's El Arish on the Mediterranean coast of the Sinai peninsula, said an Egyptian aviation official, who declined to be named. He did not say when the two countries reached the agreement.

Egypt wanted flights to and from Gaza to use a flight path 48 kilometers north of El Arish while Israel, citing security reasons, insisted on the path being used 16 kilometers north of the town. The agreement on 24 kilometers reflected the compromise on both sides.

Egypt's CAA has alerted the world's airlines that the flight path will begin to be used from Tuesday.

On May 3, Israeli security services turned back a flight from Egypt after preventing it from landing at Gaza airport.

Israeli security services control air traffic in and out of Gaza under agreements signed with the Palestinians.





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