Egypt: There is no talk about the future of Gaza before the ceasefire

Cairo (Al-Ittihad)

Egypt confirmed that there is no talk about the future of the Gaza Strip before the ceasefire, stressing the importance of increasing humanitarian aid and preventing the displacement of the population. This came as Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said yesterday that it is not possible to talk about the future of the Gaza Strip before the ceasefire there. .
Shukri said in a press conference held with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Cairo, about the future of Gaza and “the next day of the cessation of war”: “We must focus on the ceasefire. We cannot talk about matters that might be understood as accepting the continuation of this situation.” From military actions and targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip.” He added: “In order for us to be able to overcome the current stage and talk about the future, the firing must stop in order for this talk to have meaning.” Since the start of the current wave of escalation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli officials have spoken with different visions about managing Gaza in the “post-war phase.”
Shukri criticized the international silence on the targeting of Gaza children and journalists in the Strip, saying: “If a child was injured, the international community should have come to his aid, so what about the 10,000 children who lost their lives, and more under the rubble?” The Egyptian Foreign Minister considered that “the international community is unable to explicitly demand a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Shukri denounced “the prevention of the entry of the press and officials into the Gaza Strip,” asking: “Why this prevention, and the deliberate prevention of the entry of the press and officials to see this tragic situation in Gaza?”
The Egyptian Minister renewed the demand for a ceasefire, stressing the importance of increasing humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip and preventing displacement. He pointed out that the discussions with his German counterpart dealt with how to deal with the situation in a way that preserves the unity of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In turn, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed during the press conference that Egypt and Germany agree that Gaza and the West Bank belong to the Palestinians, stressing that peace will not be achieved except with a two-state solution.
She added that the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza cannot continue, and that concrete measures need to be taken now to ensure that aid reaches the population there.
She also stressed that the international community has an obligation to organize security in Gaza after the war, pointing out that “a reformed Palestinian authority must play a decisive role in the future.”
In this context, Birbok delivered to the Egyptian Red Crescent about 10 tons of in-kind aid allocated to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
The aid shipment, which consisted of about 40 transport pallets, was financed by the German Foreign Ministry, and was loaded by the German army at the Wunstorf base in the state of Lower Saxony.
The aid consists of camping mats, blankets, sleeping bags for children and field beds for people in Gaza living in temporary shelters.
The goods will be unloaded by the Red Crescent and transported to the coastal strip by the United Nations Migration Organization.
The aid is scheduled to be distributed to people there through a Norwegian refugee organization.
According to data from the German Foreign Ministry, two planes took off from the city of Leipzig on January 7 and 8, each carrying tents for families, tarpaulins, and ambulance bags provided by the German Red Cross. The two planes landed in Al-Arish.
In-kind aid, funded by the German Foreign Ministry, is also being distributed through the Palestinian Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip.
Germany has tripled its humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories, reaching 203 million euros since the start of the Gaza war. According to Birbock, at the end of 2023, approximately 8 million additional euros were paid to the States Fund at the United Nations Office for Emergency Humanitarian Aid for the Palestinian Territories. These funds will be used for purposes including food assistance, medical care and trauma treatment.