“This crisis is the deliberate outcome of a devastating, vindictive war waged against the Strip, its people, its infrastructure, and its medical system.”
Calling for Israel to withdraw from the southern Gazan town of Rafah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has said Tel Aviv is entirely responsible for the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave.
“The responsibility for the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip lies squarely with the Israeli side,” El-Sisi said in a speech at the Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza Conference in Jordan on Tuesday.
“This crisis is the deliberate outcome of a devastating, vindictive war waged against the Strip, its people, its infrastructure, and its medical system.”
El-Sisi stated, “This outrageous war has employed mass starvation and brutal siege to render the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and forcibly displace its inhabitants from their lands, with utter disregard for international conventions and moral humanitarian principles and standards.”
He pointed to Egypt “repeatedly” warning against “the menace of this war, its repercussions, and the formidable consequences of the Israeli military operations” in the southern town of Rafah which borders his country.
UN Resolution
The president welcomed the UN Security Council resolution adopted on Monday and demanded its “full implementation,” as well as “other relevant resolutions.”
Despite a previous UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has continued its genocidal war on Gaza.
El-Sisi reiterated the “crucial need for an urgent, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire,” as well as full respect for international law and humanitarian law, including “the necessity to protect civilians and not to target the infrastructure, UN personnel, or medical and service staff in the Gaza Strip.”
‘Immediate, Full, Complete Ceasefire’ – UNSC Passes Resolution to End Israel’s War on Gaza
The president called for “immediate, vigorous, and tangible steps” to be taken to “oblige Israel to end the siege and stop using mass starvation as a collective punishment for the people of Gaza.”
This, the president said, is “in addition to committing Israel to remove all obstacles impeding the immediate, sustainable, and adequate flow of humanitarian relief aid” to Gaza through all crossings.
‘Withdraw from Rafah’
He also called for Israel “to withdraw from the city of Rafah,” and for conditions to be created “conducive to the immediate return of the displaced Palestinians,” who were forced to abandon their homes in Gaza due to the war.
“Military and security measures will only trigger more turmoil and bloodshed in our region,” El-Sisi emphasized, adding that “the only way” to establish peace, stability, and coexistence in the region is “to address the root causes of the conflict through the two-state solution.”
The Strategic Importance of the Philadelphi Route to Israel – EXPLAINER
In addition, the Palestinian people should be granted “their legitimate right to establish an independent, viable state, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, a state that enjoys full membership of the United Nations.”
Palestinian State
El-Sisi commended the recognition of the State of Palestine by the governments of Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia.
“I also urge the rest of the world to follow suit and stand on the right side of history: the side of justice, peace, security, and hope,” he said.
End of an Era: What the Shifting Discourse on Palestine Teaches Us about the Future of Israel
The conference was jointly organized by the UN, Jordan, and Egypt and attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
Jordan’s foreign ministry reportedly said the main purpose of the conference was “to reach consensus over practical measures to meet the immediate needs” in Gaza.
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,164 Palestinians have been killed and 84,832 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
70 Percent of Gaza Destroyed – Dozens Killed, Wounded in Israeli Strikes
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
