During the meeting, which was held at the foreign ministry headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, FM Abdelatty stressed the urgent need to address the military escalation in the West Bank.

He also called on Israel to fulfill its responsibilities as an occupying power by ensuring the security of the Palestinian population, rather than intimidating them and violating their human rights through acts of killing, assassination, arrest, and torture.

Egypt has consistently cautioned about the severe consequences of the current Israeli escalation in the West Bank, calling for a united international effort to halt the escalation in the Palestinian territories and to enforce internationally recognized agreements on the two-state solution.

The Israeli army has begun on Wednesday a major new offensive in the West Bank, concentrating on the cities of Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Tulkarem

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah reported that the operation, which involved airstrikes, ground forces, and bulldozers, has resulted in at least 22 Palestinian deaths.

Amid escalating violence in the West Bank during the Gaza conflict, over 640 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers since 7 October.

Humanitarian aid to Gaza
 

The Egyptian foreign minister also emphasized the crucial need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egypt and to ensure that all relevant procedures are completed promptly, free from any obstacles imposed by Israel.

Abdelatty praised the cooperation between the UN mechanism and the Egyptian Red Crescent regarding the humanitarian aid provided to the Gaza Strip.

He also highlighted the importance of keeping the Security Council thoroughly and transparently informed about the progress of the mechanism’s work, which aims to expedite the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and the degree of cooperation from countries in fulfilling the Security Council's mandate.

Egypt's top diplomat stressed that Cairo will persist in providing the necessary support to the UN official to help her fulfill her mandate as outlined in Security Council Resolution 2720.

Furthermore, Abdelatty underscored Egypt's commitment to ensuring that Kaag can continue her efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

For her part, the UN coordinator highlighted her recent key efforts to facilitate the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, including her involvement in the polio vaccination campaign that began in the strip on Sunday.

She addressed the difficulties faced by the UN mechanism due to the ongoing Israeli military operations and the deteriorating security situation in Gaza.

Kaag also emphasized her commitment to working closely with Egypt in the coming period to secure additional humanitarian aid from the international donor community and to ensure that it can enter the Gaza Strip as soon as conditions permit.

The UN coordinator thanked Egypt for its support of the UN mechanism since its establishment, expressing her aspiration to continue his collaboration to help alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt, besides Qatar and the US, has been mediating for months to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the more-than-10-month-old Israeli war on the strip, where Israel has killed and injured over 130,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women.