• Ahmed Aboul Gheit was speaking during a meeting with Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s senior coordinator for humanitarian affairs and reconstruction in Gaza
• Kaag gave a detailed overview of the humanitarian situation in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli military operations in the territory

Gobran Mohamed

CAIRO: Withholding essential, life-saving aid from Palestinians is tantamount to a death sentence and collective punishment, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

He was speaking during a meeting with Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s under-secretary-general and senior coordinator for humanitarian affairs and reconstruction in Gaza, at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo.

Kaag gave a detailed overview of the humanitarian situation in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli military operations in the territory and the blockade that is affecting more than 2 million Palestinians.

Jamal Rushdi, a spokesperson for Aboul Gheit, said the discussion focused on the severe deterioration in the humanitarian situation in recent weeks and proposed plans for the delivery of aid.

The Arab League chief said the international community shares responsibility for the tragedy unfolding in Gaza as a result of the tacit approval granted by some significant world powers to Israel, which has allowed authorities in the country to engage in aggressive acts during their war against Hamas in a reprehensible and dehumanizing manner.

Kaag discussed with Aboul Gheit several ideas for delivering aid and the difficulties that have been experienced in achieving this as a result of Israeli intransigence.

Both agreed that the urgent return of Palestinian Authority control of the Gaza Strip is necessary for reconstruction to begin, Rushdi said.