Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations High Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza (SHRC). (Source: Ahram Online)

Mr. Abdelatty made this statement during a meeting on November 12 in Cairo with Ms. Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations (UN) Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza (SHRC).

According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the meeting focused on ways to address the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and ensure effective distribution of aid.

Mr. Abdelatty stressed that the daily amount of aid coming into Gaza is not enough to cope with the current level of humanitarian disaster in the area.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister criticized Israel's continued military control at the Rafah border crossing and its failure to fully open other crossings with Gaza, viewing this as a deliberate act of obstructing aid access and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

In addition, Mr. Abdelatty also called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to fulfill its obligations to the Palestinian people in Gaza, and condemned Tel Aviv's withdrawal from the agreement regulating the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has restricted imports of food, clean water and medicine, pushing its 2.3 million residents to the brink of starvation. The situation in northern Gaza has been exacerbated by a complete cutoff of aid since late September 2024, deepening the crisis.

On November 12, international aid organizations criticized Israel for failing to respond to US demands for expanded humanitarian access, noting that conditions in Gaza are worse than at any time during the 13-month conflict.

According to Israel, there will be an average of 57 aid trucks arriving in Gaza every day in October 2024 and 81 trucks in early November 2024. However, the UN gives a much lower figure, only 37 trucks/day from October 2024.

International aid organizations estimate that at least 350 aid trucks are needed every day to meet the minimum survival needs of the 2.2 million Palestinians in the strip.

Also during the meeting with Ms. Sigrid Kaag, the Egyptian Foreign Minister mentioned Cairo's recent efforts to promote internal Palestinian reconciliation.

According to Mr. Abdelatty, Egypt opposes Israel's forced relocation of Palestinians, and affirms the importance of implementing the two-state solution.