Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee urges securing aid corridors to Gaza

Ahram Online , Monday 26 Feb 2024

Members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee stressed on Monday the urgency of securing relief corridors to deliver sufficient and urgent humanitarian, food, and medical aid to the Gaza Strip.

Members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee meets with the UN Secretary-General António G
Members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee meets with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN headquarters in Geneva, 26 February 2024. Photo: Egyptian Foreign Ministry

The committee, chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, comprised foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and Palestine.

They met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, where they discussed the latest developments in Israel’s war on Gaza.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they reiterated their unified rejection of Israeli aggression against Gaza and called for an immediate and complete ceasefire to protect civilians according to international humanitarian law. 

In a joint statement, the members called for confronting all Israeli violations of international law against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

These violations have increased the human tragedy and impeded the entry of urgent humanitarian aid into the besieged Strip.

Furthermore, they rejected the restrictions placed on humanitarian aid that have prevented its rapid, sustainable, and safe delivery.

They also rejected Israeli plans to forcibly displace Palestinians.

The committee stressed that any restrictions on the freedom of Palestinian Muslims and Christians to worship in Jerusalem would exacerbate tensions and cause a spiral of violence. 

They also warned of the extremely dangerous repercussions of storming Rafah in south Gaza, the last refuge for more than a million civilians who have fled from elsewhere in the strip.

In conclusion, the members emphasized the importance of creating the political conditions to establish a unified Palestinian state on 1967 borders.

The Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, formed in November by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh, primarily aims to halt the ongoing war in Gaza and tackle the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Strip by mobilizing immediate international action.

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