Egypt's Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly emphasised Wednesday that the extension of a natural gas supply agreement with Israel will have no influence on Cairo's political stance towards the war in Gaza. Speaking at his weekly press conference, Prime Minister Madbouly said the accord with NewMed Energy — one of the partners in Israel's Leviathan offshore gas field — had been in place since 2019 and was purely commercial. The deal was recently extended to 2040 amid expectations of increased Israeli output. Prime Minister Madbouly rejected suggestions the agreement could be used to exert political pressure on Egypt or temper its position on the Palestinian cause. "Our stance is clear, firm and will never change," he said, reiterating Egypt's opposition to any settlement that displaces Palestinians from their land. His comments come as Egypt continues to import and process gas from Israel and Cyprus, using its liquefied natural gas facilities at Idku and Damietta to re-export supplies, as the country seeks to consolidate its role as a regional energy hub. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English