Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Wednesday11/10/2023 with visiting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland and UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to discuss the military escalation between Israel and the Palestinians.
The meeting focused on the hazardous humanitarian repercussions of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.
Shoukry and the UN officials exchanged views about ways to alleviate the brunt of human suffering as a result of Israel’s fierce and continued strikes against the Palestinian people, Abu Zeid added.
They agreed on the need to spare Palestinian and Israeli civilians the threat of military escalation inside and around Gaza, he noted.
Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s full support for the UN bodies concerned with providing vital services and delivering relief aid to Gazans, the spokesman said.
The Egyptian top diplomat warned of the consequences of expanding the policies of collective punishment, starvation and siege, which violate international humanitarian law, Abu Zeid said.
He quoted Shoukry as having expressed concern about the raids that targeted an UNRWA school, which shelters displaced families in Gaza.
They stressed the importance of respecting the special status of the UNRWA HQs and utilities in the Gaza Strip, the spokesman said.
Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering stance regarding a comprehensive and just settlement to the Palestinian problem, insisting that a two-state solution is the only guarantee to achieving peace and coexistence between the Palestinians and Israelis, Abu Zeid noted.
