Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini in Cairo. Photo: Egyptian foreign ministry
The two discussed the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave and ways to bolster support for Palestinians, according to Egypt’s foreign ministry.
Abdelatty said Cairo would continue backing UNRWA “by all possible means” at a time of mounting political, financial, and operational pressures.
He condemned Israeli strikes on the agency’s facilities and staff – more than 360 of whom have been killed since the Israeli war on Gaza began – calling them a “flagrant breach” of international law.
He also criticized recent Israeli efforts to shut down UNRWA operations in the occupied territories, describing them as a dangerous precedent that undermines international institutions.
He stressed that only the UN General Assembly has the authority to determine the agency’s mandate, and rejected proposals to transfer its services to other bodies.
Lazzarini warned that UNRWA faced “extremely dire” financial shortages that had already forced it to suspend some programmes, and said humanitarian workers in Gaza were paying a “heavy price”.
He reiterated calls for restrictions on aid agencies in the Strip to be lifted.
Gaza reconstruction talks
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s plan to host an international conference on Gaza’s early recovery and reconstruction once a ceasefire is in place.
The gathering, to be organized with the Palestinian Authority and the UN, is part of a wider Arab-Islamic plan.
He said UNRWA would have an essential role in providing services during the initial recovery phase.
The UNRWA chief briefed Abdelatty on Gaza’s urgent needs during the relief and early recovery phase, as well as the agency’s work under Israeli restrictions.
Lazzarini underscored the urgency of a ceasefire, saying Israel had “crossed all boundaries and red lines.”
Abdelatty, for his part, outlined Egypt’s efforts to push for a ceasefire and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, warning also of the dangers posed by expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He also restated Egypt’s support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
The foreign ministry stated that Egypt has dispatched more than 45,000 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the outbreak of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, comprising over 550,000 tonnes of food, water, medicines, and fuel.
The UN formally declared a famine in Gaza on 22 August – the first such designation in the Middle East – warning that half a million Palestinians are facing “catastrophic” levels of hunger.
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