Egypt provided over 70% of the aid that entered Gaza: Abdelatty to Palestinian PM

Ahram Online , Sunday 10 Nov 2024

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty highlighted on Sunday the humanitarian role that Cairo has taken on in providing relief to the people of Gaza, noting that Egypt has contributed more than 70 percent of the aid that has entered the strip, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Abdelatty to Palestinian PM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty (L) and Mohamed Mustafa, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

 

Abdelatty made these remarks during a meeting with Mohamed Mustafa, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, on the sidelines of the preparatory ministerial meeting for the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit.

The summit will be held on 11 November in Riyadh.

According to the statement, Abdelatty pointed out that Egypt has received and provided healthcare to thousands of wounded Palestinians, vaccinated thousands of children, and provided Palestinian students with access to education through the Ministry of Education and Al-Azhar.

Moreover, he strongly condemned Israel's ongoing aggression and measures to obstruct the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). And he stressed the importance of providing the agency with protection and support through international organizations, according to the statement.

Egypt has consistently condemned Israeli attacks on UNRWA facilities in Gaza. It has also denounced Israel's starvation policies and its use of food as a weapon.

The Egyptian FM, the statement continued, reiterated that Egypt firmly rejects any Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

On the other hand, Abdelatty reviewed Egypt's ongoing efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the full and unconditional provision of humanitarian aid to the people there.

"Egypt will persist in supporting the Palestinian people until they establish an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," he told Mustafa.    

According to the statement, the Egyptian FM also confirmed Egypt's full support for empowering the Palestinian Authority.

 

Egypt has stressed that empowering the Palestinian Authority and treating the West Bank and Gaza Strip as unified Palestinian territories are essential for establishing a Palestinian state and ending the Israeli occupation.

For his part, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine appreciated Egypt's efforts to support Palestinian rights.

He also praised Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's role and efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and safeguard their rights, particularly the right to self-determination, the statement noted.

Egypt humanitarian role
 

Egypt has played a pivotal role in providing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip since Israel began its brutal war on 7 October, 2023.

The Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) has received and distributed local and international humanitarian and medical assistance to over two million Palestinians.

Previously, the ERCS transported aid through the Rafah border crossing. But following Israel's assault on the Rafah crossing in May and its subsequent control of the Palestinian side of the border, Egypt began delivering aid to Gaza temporarily through the Karm Abu Salem crossing until Israel withdraws from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

The ERCS executive director told Ahram Online in late August that despite reduced individual donations and international aid, the organization has expanded its logistical capabilities.

Since late 2023, Egypt designated North Sinai's Arish International Airport as a key receiving point for international assistance. Currently, aid arrives from eight seaports and two airports.

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