Egypt, South Africa presidents concur on rejecting blockade and displacement in Gaza

Ahram Online , Thursday 19 Oct 2023

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa concurred on the importance of immediate protection to civilians and rejecting mass blockade and displacement amid the Israeli military escalation in Gaza, in a phone call on Wednesday, as per the Egyptian presidency’s statement.

Sisi, Ramaphosa
Combined images of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (R) and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Presidential spokesman's Facebook page.

 

The two leaders concurred on the gravity of the current situation and the threat it poses to regional stability, urging for reducing tension and defusing violence.

They also called for providing immediate and safe access to humanitarian assistance and relief to the people in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, which are now on the verge of a catastrophe. 

El-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s relentless efforts in this regard and in mobilizing the international community toward consensus on pushing forward the peace track based on the two-state solution and by the relevant references of international legitimacy.

The Gaza Strip has endured 12 days of Israeli bombardments, which have killed around 3,000 Palestinians, one-third of whom are children. 

Since the start of the attacks, the Israeli authorities have severed all food, power, and fuel supplies to Gaza and refused the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians, putting the territories at risk of humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has also called on Palestinians to leave their homes in northern Gaza and move south, a call that violates international law.

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