Cairo has received new American support by rejecting a plan to “move” Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt’s Sinai, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has called on the international community to move urgently to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Sisi’s statements came during a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday, in which they discussed developments in Israel’s military escalation in Gaza, according to an Egyptian presidential spokesperson.
Al-Sisi highlighted “the extremely dangerous humanitarian situation, in addition to the widespread destruction witnessed in the Gaza Strip,” calling for “a firm international position to stop the bloodshed, implement humanitarian aid and provide the opportunity for political solutions.”
Egypt seeks, through various political moves, to activate a rapid truce in Gaza and to ensure a greater flow of humanitarian aid. As part of these movements, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received calls on Thursday from Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand Foreign Minister, and Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Politics security of the European Union.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Shukri exchanged detailed assessments with officials on the security and humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and their potential repercussions on regional and international peace and security, and stressed “the need to reach a truce immediate humanitarian; Preserve Palestinian lives, provide necessary protection to civilians, and reject Israel’s violations and collective punishment policies; From the siege and forced displacement of the population of the Gaza Strip”.
The Egyptian Minister underlined the importance of the Security Council fulfilling its legal and humanitarian responsibility towards “ending this tragic situation in Gaza, calling out the violations and their perpetrators by name and taking immediate action to stop the escalation”.
In a Russian statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the views of the two sides “are in agreement on an immediate ceasefire, the sustainable entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of hostages.”
On the other hand, Egypt received new American support on Thursday with an implicit rejection of Israeli plans to displace Gazans in the Egyptian Sinai. Acting US Ambassador to Egypt Elizabeth Jones said: “The United States fully respects Egypt’s sovereignty and national security needs,” adding in an embassy statement that “The United States stands fully committed to ensuring that Palestinians are not displaced from Gaza to Egypt or any other country.” You also welcomed the news from the Rafah border crossing regarding a number of foreign nationals crossing the crossing from the Palestinian side.
He indicated that the American leadership is grateful to the Egyptian leadership for facilitating the safe passage of foreign citizens from Gaza.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has already affirmed on several occasions Egypt’s firm position to “reject policies of collective punishment and displacement”, underlining that Egypt “has not and will not allow the displacement of Palestinians from the Strip of Gaza to Egyptian territory.”
The Israeli Ministry of Intelligence proposed in an official document “to transfer the population of the Gaza Strip, which numbers 2.3 million people, to the Sinai Peninsula,” as reported by the Associated Press news agency. The document, whose authenticity was recognized by the Israeli authorities a few days ago, envisaged the transfer of Gaza’s civilian population to “tent cities in North Sinai, then the construction of permanent cities for them and the creation of a security zone in the interior of Israel to prevent displaced Palestinians from entering.” .”
Late last October, US President Joe Biden, in contact with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, confirmed work to “ensure that Palestinians in Gaza are not forced to flee to Egypt or any other country ”.
For a second day, evacuations of the wounded and foreigners continued in Egypt, according to an agreement between Israel, Egypt, Hamas and the United States, which allows some holders of foreign passports, their families and some injured residents of Gaza, to leave Egypt. the besieged Strip.
Egypt is preparing to welcome around 7,000 foreigners as part of the evacuation process from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad, Ismail Khairat, said the number of those his country will receive is “around 7,000 foreign citizens who hold nationalities of more than 60 countries.”
On Wednesday, the first day of the crossing’s opening, Egypt received 76 injured people, while the number of foreigners and dual citizens leaving the Gaza Strip reached 335, according to the Egyptian official in charge of the Rafah crossing.
Hamas Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra told Agence France-Presse that a list of 4,000 wounded in need of treatment that does not exist in the Gaza Strip has been sent to the Egyptian authorities. He added: “We hope they can leave in the next few days; Because they need surgery… We have to save their lives.”