Egyptian-UN consensus on the need to increase the flow of aid to Gaza

Cairo (Al-Ittihad)

Egypt and the United Nations agreed on the need to increase the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering from an ongoing war for more than 3 months that has caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed that achieving a ceasefire “remains the best way to end the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip.”
This came during Shukri’s reception yesterday with Sigrid Kach, the United Nations Senior 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, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.
The spokesman said, in a press statement, that “Minister Shukri and the UN official’s discussions extensively covered 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 Foreign Minister also 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 spokesman added that the two sides stressed in their discussions “the necessity of increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in a manner sufficient to meet 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.”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister affirmed Egypt’s support for the role assigned to the UN official, and its keenness to provide all facilities to enable her to perform her duties, 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 to commit to Israel facilitates and does not obstruct 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 those obstacles and cooperate in order to accelerate its entry into the Gaza Strip to put an end to the deteriorating humanitarian situation.”
Shoukry also reaffirmed “Egypt’s firm commitment, since the beginning of the crisis, to work to sustain the implementation of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, despite the deliberate obstacles placed by the Israeli side.”
The spokesman pointed out 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, which includes 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”.
Appreciation and thanks
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 its keenness to continue Coordination and consultation with the Egyptian side to ensure the implementation of its tasks.
According to the statement, the UN official is scheduled to visit Al-Arish Airport and the Rafah crossing today, Wednesday, as part of the coordination efforts she is undertaking with all parties on the process of launching the UN mechanism concerned with accelerating the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.