The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen s presser at the Rafah border crossing on 18 November 2023.
The EU chief's remarks came during a presser at the Rafah border crossing, after handing over the most recent aid donated by the EU to the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is delivering vital supplies to Gaza.
"None of this would be possible without our excellent and close cooperation with the Egyptian authorities, UNRWA, and the Egyptian Red Crescent," von der Leyen stressed.
"Egypt is truly providing a lifeline to Gaza and the EU is making full use of this lifeline to address the humanitarian needs in Gaza," the EU chief said.
She noted that the EU is the largest aid donor to the Palestinian people and one of the main and most reliable donors to the UNRWA, stressing the need to increase the volumes of aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza.
"Over the last month, we have quadrupled our humanitarian aid to over €100 million and our member states have added €260 million," she said, adding that they have organized a humanitarian air-bridge operation as well as daily aid flights.
In addition to the humanitarian support, the EU chief said she discussed with El-Sisi ways to prevent violence from spreading in the region. "Egypt is a key partner in this. Its voice is heard across the region and by all sectors," said von der Leyen.
The European Commission President concluded her remarks by affirming that "even as we deal with the urgency of today, we must also think about what the day after could look like, and how Israelis and Palestinians can regain hope."
"For this, they need a political solution, and this is the two-state solution," she noted.
The EU chief's visit to the Rafah crossing followed her meeting with El-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday, during which they discussed the situation in Gaza amid the Israeli assault that has raged for six weeks.
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