Egypt’s president warned on Saturday against using Gaza’s southern Rafah border crossing to intensify the blockade on the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Egypt rejects using the Rafah crossing as a tool to tighten the siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated during a press conference in Cairo with Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, according to the Anadolu News agency.
He emphasized Egypt’s call for “an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire at the soonest time and Egypt’s categorical rejection of any form of displacement as well as any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause”.
On May 7, the Israeli army took control of the Rafah crossing, linking Gaza and Egypt, following an announcement by Tel Aviv of a military operation in Rafah, despite international warnings about the consequences.
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The humanitarian situation in Gaza has since worsened, with blocked aid, suspended medical transfers abroad, and the closure of most hospitals.
Sisi also highlighted the necessity of halting Israeli attacks on civilians and violent actions by illegal settlers in the West Bank.
Moreover, Egypt condemned Israel’s bombing of the densely populated Al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza.
At least 71 Palestinians were killed and 289 were injured on Saturday when Israeli occupation forces targeted tents of displaced people in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, an area previously designated as ‘safe’.
Al-Jazeera reported that the Israeli army conducted violent raids with five missiles on displacement camps west of Khan Yunis, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.
Massacre in Gaza ‘Safe Zone’ – Israel Bombs Khan Yunis Camp, Kills, Wounds over 350
Following the bombing, the ministry called on Israel to “stop disregarding the lives of innocent civilian citizens and to adhere to the required humanitarian standards in compliance with international law and humanitarian law.”
Egypt condemned the attack on displaced Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, asserting that “such crimes … cannot be accepted under any pretext.”
The ongoing violations, Egypt reiterated, complicate efforts to achieve a ceasefire, increasing Palestinian suffering amid international silence and inaction.
(PC, Anadolu)
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