By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Mr. Sameh Shukri, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Ms. Sigrid Kach, the United Nations Chief Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza, on her first visit to the region after assuming the position in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2720. To facilitate, coordinate and monitor the process of bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The official spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the discussions between Minister Shukri and the UN official dealt extensively with the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, and assessments related to the deteriorating work of the service and humanitarian systems in the Strip. The Minister of Foreign Affairs listened to a detailed presentation of the UN Coordinator’s vision for how to implement the tasks assigned to her and her priorities for action during the next stage.
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the two sides stressed in their discussions the necessity of increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in a manner that meets the urgent needs of the residents of the Strip, as well as supporting the continued work of service facilities, hospitals, and relief agencies to provide their services to the Palestinian people.
In a related context, Minister Shukri stressed Egypt’s support for the role assigned to the UN official and Egypt’s keenness to provide all facilities to enable it to perform its tasks, and to ensure the full implementation of the provisions of the Security Council resolution, including the rapid launch of a United Nations mechanism to accelerate the sending of humanitarian aid shipments to the Gaza Strip. Stressing the need for Israel to commit to facilitating and not obstructing the work of the UN official.
Shukri stressed that the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2720 means that its members and the international community are aware of the existence of challenges and obstacles associated with the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, and therefore Israel’s responsibility to remove these obstacles and cooperate in order to accelerate its entry into the Gaza Strip to put an end to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also reaffirmed Egypt’s firm commitment, since the beginning of the crisis, to working to sustain the implementation of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, despite the deliberate obstacles placed by the Israeli side.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid added that Minister Shukri also stressed during the meeting the need for the Security Council to assume its responsibility towards implementing what was included in the resolution, namely facilitating the use of all available paths to/and within the Gaza Strip, stressing that the current tragic situation necessitates the implementation of urgent aid through direct paths without Any delay, and achieving a ceasefire remains the best way to end the human tragedy in the Gaza Strip.
For her part, the UN official expressed her appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt to provide and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and diplomatically by pushing for a Security Council resolution in this regard, as well as facilitating the use of the Rafah crossing by UN relief agencies to bring aid and vital supplies to the residents of the Strip, stressing Ensuring continued coordination and consultation with the Egyptian side to ensure the implementation of its tasks.
The UN official is scheduled to visit Al-Arish Airport and the Rafah crossing on January 17, as part of the coordination efforts she is undertaking with all parties on the path of launching the UN mechanism concerned with accelerating the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.
