Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed Egypt’s rejection of some elements’ seizure of humanitarian aid allocated to Palestinian Rafah.
This came during a phone call with Sigrid Kach, the United Nations Chief Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
During the call, Shukri attacked the Israeli side for its lack of commitment to protecting aid and ensuring that it reaches those who deserve it.
Shukri stressed the need for Israel to commit to facilitating the entry of aid and easing restrictions imposed on the movement of trucks at the crossings.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the call came within the framework of consultation with Egypt before Kach submitted her monthly briefing to the Security Council.
The call addressed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the obstacles that Israel places on the entry of aid, which exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
Shukri reviewed Kach’s assessment of ways and plans to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and discussed the results of her contacts with Israeli officials regarding easing restrictions imposed on the crossings.
Shukri discussed with the UN official the status of the process of bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the current status of the Rafah crossing, especially in light of Israel’s destruction of the Palestinian side of the crossing, according to Abu Zeid.
Ambassador Abu Zeid concluded his statements by noting the agreement of the Foreign Minister and the UN official to continue coordination and consultation regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip during the next stage.
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