Zahran described Egypt’s defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity 50 years ago as a “transition from despair to hope,” but added that celebrations are hampered by the crisis in Gaza, where over 11,000 people, most of whom are women and children, were massacred.

“This disregard for the sanctity of life, for international law, for the most basic values of humanity and human dignity and decency, is a tragedy that compels immediate action,” Zahran said.

He called an immediate ceasefire and the collective condemnation of the loss of innocent lives, gone in an “indiscriminate and disproportionate rage of retribution.”

Egypt’s ambassador to the US criticized Israel’s justification for its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, saying that “the concept of 'self-defence’ rings hollow against such damning despotism, death and destruction, and is in itself unwarranted in occupied lands or besieged territories.”

Unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza through its numerous crossings, Zahran demanded.

Before calling on the international community to rally with Gaza, Zahran warned that “the plight of the Palestinian people, enduring over seven decades of occupation, marked by settlement expansion, home evictions, demolition of edifices (houses, mosques, churches, hospitals and schools), and land confiscation, seizure and levelling, in addition to continuous policies and practices of provocations, inevitably fosters a spirit of furious and fierce resistance, and an unfortunate cycle of hatred, violence, and radicalization.”

Zahran described Egypt’s defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity 50 years ago as a “transition from despair to hope” but added that celebrations are hampered by the crisis in Gaza, where over 11,000 people, most of whom are women and children, have been slaughtered in daily massacres.

“This disregard for the sanctity of life, for international law, for the most basic values of humanity and human dignity and decency, is a tragedy that compels immediate action,” Zahran said.

He then called an immediate ceasefire and the collective condemnation of the loss of innocent lives, gone in an “indiscriminate and disproportionate rage of retribution.”

Egypt’s ambassador to the US criticized Israel’s justification for its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, saying that “the ‘concept of ‘self-defense’ rings hollow against such damning despotism, death and destruction, and is in itself unwarranted in occupied lands or besieged territories.”

Unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza through its numerous crossings, Zahran demanded.

Before calling on the international community to rally with Gaza, Zahran also issued a warning, saying that “the plight of the Palestinian people, enduring over seven decades of occupation, marked by settlement expansion, home evictions, demolition of edifices (houses, mosques, churches, hospitals and schools), and land confiscation, seizure and leveling, in addition to continuous policies and practices of provocations, inevitably fosters a spirit of furious and fierce resistance, and an unfortunate cycle of hatred, violence, and radicalization.”