The area near the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was hit by a new airstrike on Monday, the tenth day of the war between Israel and the Palestinian “Hamas” movement.
This was the third strike in this area since 7 October. Hundreds of Palestinians were waiting at the crossing on Monday, hoping to be allowed to cross.
The Cairo news channel reported that the Cairo peace summit will take place next Saturday, with wide international and regional participation in response to the invitation of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
On Monday evening, President Al-Sisi received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two presidents discussed the latest escalation in the Gaza Strip and reviewed the ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain the situation and prevent the spread of violence and conflict that threatens the security and stability of the region.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of prioritizing the path of supporting calm and restoring security stability, protecting civilians and avoiding their targeting, as well as addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and ensuring safe access to humanitarian and relief assistance urgently.
In a similar context, President Al-Sisi stressed the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities by providing an urgent humanitarian and relief response to the people of the Gaza Strip and easing their suffering. He also emphasized the need to de-escalate, as well as reject collective punishment policies such as siege, starvation, or displacement for civilians.
This came during President Al-Sisi’s meeting on Monday with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, in the presence of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The official spokesperson of the presidency of the Republic, counselor Ahmed Fahmy, said that the meeting witnessed the two sides affirming the importance of the strategic nature of the distinguished bilateral relations between the two countries in various economic, developmental, and cultural fields, as well as coordination and intensive consultation between the two sides on various political and security issues of common interest.
The two sides agreed on the seriousness of the current situation and its threat to the security and stability of the region, the need to work to prevent the expansion of the conflict, as well as to protect civilians and avoid their targeting and respect international humanitarian law.
President Al-Sisi pointed to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities by providing an urgent humanitarian and relief response to the people of the Strip and easing their suffering.
In this regard, he stressed the need for de-escalation, as well as rejecting collective punishment policies such as siege, starvation, or displacement of civilians.
The two sides also agreed on the importance of active international action towards resolving the Palestinian issue through reaching a fair and comprehensive solution based on the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy standards, and to achieve security and stability for all peoples of the region.
Foreign Minister Shoukry emphasized that Egypt has been working to keep the Rafah crossing open continuously since the crisis began, and has coordinated with the United Nations and the Red Cross to collect all the assistance in Arish.
He said that the aid is urgently needed to ease the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, but the Israeli government has not taken any measures on the Gaza side to allow its entry. He stressed the importance of restoring calm first and then resuming the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis.
Shoukry spoke at a press conference with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and said that Egypt is ready to deliver humanitarian aid, operate the crossing normally, and facilitate the movement of citizens.
He also discussed with the UN envoy the issue of aid delivery and described the situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza as critical due to the lack of necessities.
Shoukry condemned the practices that violate international and humanitarian law and complicate the situation in Gaza, and called for providing the needs of the Palestinian people without delay.
Shoukry affirmed that Egypt is intensifying its contacts to stop the military clashes in Gaza, and demanded an immediate halt to violence and a return to calm. He said that Egypt rejects the displacement of Palestinians from their homes and any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause. He added that there are ongoing Egyptian efforts to contain the escalation in the Gaza Strip.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna expressed her country’s support for the principles of international law in protecting civilians in Gaza and urged restraint and rationality in Gaza. She described the situation in the Strip and its surroundings as dangerous and threatening to the security of the whole region.
The French minister said that the Israeli blockade on Gaza is a violation of international law, and pointed out that Egypt cannot bear responsibilities that are not its own. She called for protecting civilians in Gaza and meeting their basic needs. She said that France and Egypt share concerns about the seriousness of the situation in Gaza.
She also said that peace is the only way to ensure sustainable security for all and that UN agencies have confirmed that Gaza is facing a humanitarian disaster. She announced that her country will allocate €10m of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that his administration is working to prevent the expansion or spread of the current crisis to other regions and to ensure the security and safety of civilians by avoiding harm to them and providing them with assistance.
He said that he had important talks in the region with its leaders on this issue, in which he condemned violence and escalation, and worked on finding a way out of the crisis.
The US Secretary of State welcomed Egypt’s invitation to hold an international summit to discuss the future of the Palestinian issue. He said: “The invitation is welcome and we welcome any efforts to work together to decide how the international community can best support the Palestinian people and ensure that they receive the assistance they need, as well as to discuss future visions for the whole issue.”
