An American citizen whose case was raised by top US leaders died Monday after more than six years in custody in Egypt, his representatives said, drawing criticism by Washington of its authoritarian ally.

Mustafa Kassem, a New York taxi driver originally from Egypt who was arrested on a home visit in 2013, had been on a liquid-only hunger strike since last fall and four days ago ceased drinking fluids.

Human Rights Watch called on Egyptian authorities Thursday to provide "critically needed medical care" to an imprisoned Islamist activist who is the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood leader.

Aisha al-Shater, 39, was arrested in November 2018 in a crackdown that swept up other political and rights activists as well as lawyers, according to HRW.

Israel has approved the export of gas from its offshore reserves to Egypt, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, with a major reservoir expected to begin operations imminently.

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi on Friday dismissed a call for a second weekend of protests as "no reason for concern", with hundreds already arrested in an intensifying crackdown on a rare show of discontent on the streets.

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said Friday.

Egypt braced Friday for a second weekend of protests, as anger stemming from economic hardship and alleged top-level corruption threaten to eclipse a long-standing ban on street rallies.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Khartoum Monday, officials said, to begin what Cairo hailed as a "new start" in relations as Sudan embarks on a transition to civilian rule.

Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, which has survived invasions, fires and earthquakes since it was founded by Alexander the Great more than 2,000 years ago, now faces a new menace in the form of climate change.

Rising sea levels threaten to inundate poorer neighborhoods and archaeological sites, prompting authorities to erect concrete barriers out at sea to break the tide. A severe storm in 2015 flooded large parts of the city, causing at least six deaths and the collapse of some two dozen homes, exposing weaknesses in the local infrastructure.

Egypt wrapped up a two-day summit with Sudan's main protest leaders Tuesday, its foreign ministry said, days before they are due to sign an agreement paving the way for civilian rule in the country.

France's President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday about the situation in Libya calling for a ceasefire "very soon" between the warring sides, the French presidency said.