- ARAB NEWS
- 05 May 2024
Since 1975
CAIRO: Egypt has condemned “international silence on violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israel” at a Paris conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza, under bombardment by Israel since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
“What the Israeli government is doing far exceeds the right to self-defense,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, complaining of an “imbalance” in “the international conscience.”
Shoukry stressed that Israel had only allowed limited quantities of humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing and urged “the entire international community, and donor countries in particular, to continue supporting the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
“The aid that has already entered Gaza is not enough to meet the needs of the entire population, and the voluntary and deliberate complications imposed by Israel on the delivery of aid only lead to a further deterioration of the situation,” he said.
Shoukry said he rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians from Gaza.
He said that Egypt called for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and condemned all practices that aimed to impose a new fait accompli to force the Palestinians to be displaced, forcibly transferred, or deported from their lands.
He stressed Egypt’s categorical rejection of the double-standard policies pursued by some countries regarding the war.
Egypt has already warned of the consequences of the conflict reaching a dangerous turn.
In a phone call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Shoukry discussed coordination and consultation on the situation in Gaza.
Shoukry and Guterres discussed in detail the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire to preserve the lives of Palestinian civilians and to provide the opportunity for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid in a complete, safe, and sustainable manner.
Shoukry highlighted the Egyptian political movements and contacts with international parties to push toward achieving a cease-fire.
He stressed the necessity of building on the international consensus embodied in the recent UN General Assembly resolution calling for implementing an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza, ensuring the protection of civilians.
Shoukry lauded the balanced positions adopted by the secretary-general on the path to containing the crisis’s repercussions and ending it.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Guterres stressed the need to end the tragic situation in Gaza and for the adoption of a cease-fire.
Guterres praised Egypt’s role in the crisis and its provision and delivery of aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.
