The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Sunday, 11 February, rejecting Israeli pronouncements of a potential military operation in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.
The statement highlights the devastating consequences of such action, particularly for the already vulnerable 1.4 million Palestinians displaced there seeking refuge.
Egypt urges the international community to unite in preventing an attack on Rafah, stressing that targeting the city and obstructing humanitarian aid would constitute a blatant violation of international law and contribute to the displacement of the Palestinian people.
This action, the statement emphasizes, undermines the Palestinian cause and disregards relevant Security Council and UN General Assembly resolutions.
The Egyptian government reaffirms its commitment to diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving an immediate ceasefire, enforcing the existing truce, and facilitating the exchange of prisoners and detainees.
It calls upon influential international powers to intensify pressure on Israel to respond positively to these efforts and refrain from further escalating the situation, which would only harm the interests of all parties involved.
In November 2023, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi previously warned that the forced displacement of Palestinians is a red line for Egypt, and that it will not be permitted.
Comment (1)
[…] are particularly high amidst growing fears of an intensification of Israeli ground operations, especially those near Rafah in southern Gaza. An escalation there could further worsen the catastrophic humanitarian plight of Gaza’s […]