Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his meeting with the heads of the United Nations’ regional offices in Cairo. Photo by Foreign Ministry.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting in Cairo with senior UN regional officials, where discussions centred on the worsening situation in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in Syria, and Egypt’s coordination with the UN on reconstruction and development.
According to a statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry, Abdelatty condemned Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza, accusing it of using starvation as a “systematic policy of collective punishment” over the past two months.
He thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres for backing the Arab-Islamic plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, prepared by Egypt, which includes emergency relief, early recovery, and rebuilding “with Palestinians on their land.”
Egypt, he said, is working with the UN to organize an international conference in support of the plan.
UN officials at the meeting warned of a catastrophic collapse in Gaza, citing empty aid warehouses, acute shortages of food and medicine, and a growing funding crisis for humanitarian operations.
Abdelatty also condemned an Israeli airstrike near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus last week, calling it a violation of Syrian sovereignty that risks escalating regional instability.
While voicing strong support for multilateralism, Abdelatty praised the UN’s humanitarian and development efforts in conflict zones and stressed Egypt’s commitment to working with UN agencies operating in the country.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his meeting with UN officials in Cairo. Photo by Foreign Ministry.
Discussions also addressed Egypt’s development priorities, including water scarcity, integrating technology in education, and expanding vocational training, areas where UN technical support remains critical.
The foreign minister highlighted Egypt’s role as a regional host for refugees and migrants, calling for continued international support.
Egypt currently hosts more than 10 million migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, he noted, which he said places significant pressure on state infrastructure and services.
Abdelatty underscored the importance of maintaining regional UN offices in Egypt — not only to support national development, but to help frontline communities respond to ongoing displacement and cross-border crises.
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