Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday evening, during which they discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of the temporary humanitarian truce agreement, which was reached through joint mediation.
According to Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two ministers discussed the efforts to contain the crisis in Gaza and facilitate the entry of humanitarian and relief aid to the Strip during the truce period. They also stressed the importance of overcoming any obstacles that may threaten the continuation of the agreement.
Minister Shoukry emphasized the need to build on this truce to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, to ensure adequate and sustainable humanitarian and relief assistance to all areas of Gaza, and to support international efforts to achieve this goal, including the implementation of the Security Council resolution issued last November on the establishment of a truce and humanitarian corridors in Gaza to address the deteriorating and unprecedented humanitarian conditions.
The Foreign Minister also briefed his American counterpart on the contacts and tours conducted by the Arab/Islamic ministerial committee and pointed out the important role of the permanent members of the Security Council in stopping the ongoing war in Gaza and ending the unprecedented violations by Israel of international law and international humanitarian law through the deliberate targeting of civilians.
The US Secretary of State praised the Egyptian efforts to contain the crisis and limit its repercussions, and the close cooperation to reach a temporary truce agreement, which resulted in the entry of more humanitarian and relief aid shipments to Gaza in the past two days, and the release of the second batch of prisoners and detainees on Saturday evening.
Minister Shoukry discussed with his American counterpart the draft resolution submitted by the Arab and Islamic groups to the Security Council to address the existing imbalance in the humanitarian aid system to Gaza and stressed the responsibility of the international actors to ensure adequate and sustainable aid access to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the people of Gaza.
The two ministers stressed the importance of continuing close consultation and coordination on various aspects of the crisis, and working together to restore stability in the region by pushing for a sustainable political solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution and the resolutions of international legitimacy, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
