Egypt, UK Agree to Increase Aid Flow into Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
TT

Egypt, UK Agree to Increase Aid Flow into Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron agreed on Thursday on the necessity of reaching a sustainable ceasefire, and the provision of sufficient relief aid to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of the Gaza Strip in order to end the humanitarian calamity in the enclave.
During talks held in Cairo, the two men emphasized their rejection of the displacement of Palestinians, and the importance of working to prevent the expansion of the conflict to other areas in the region.
Egypt continued its efforts to renew a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. It has also expressed its rejection of any attempts by Israel to displace the people of Gaza into its territories.
In Cairo, Sisi received Cameron in the presence of Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Affairs at the UK Foreign Office Lord Tariq Ahmad and UK Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley.
The meeting touched on the regional developments and the current situation in the Gaza Strip.
Sisi underscored the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in implementing the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly regarding the situation in Gaza, in addition to working seriously and determinedly to reach a fair and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue through the implementation of the two-state solution, according to presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy.
Later, Britain and Egypt's foreign ministers called in a joint press conference for more aid to enter Gaza.
Shoukry underlined the importance of halting aggression in the Gaza Strip, noting that 20,000 Palestinians, including 8,000 children, were killed in the Gaza Strip in addition to destroying 70 percent of their houses.
For his part, Cameron affirmed the necessity of increasing aid flow into Gaza, stating that Britain has offered $75 million in aid.
Meanwhile, a UN report said that more than 90% of the population in the Gaza Strip was facing ‘crisis levels’ of hunger and estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity.

 

 



UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
TT

UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The UN rights chief on Tuesday voiced concern about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, where his office said nearly 100 people had been reported killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, including women, children and medics.

Israel has been locked in fighting with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since Oct. 2023, and fighting has escalated dramatically since late September of this year.

"UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk is gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon with at least 97 people reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between the 22nd and 24th of November," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told a Geneva press briefing.

He said that at least seven paramedics had been reported killed in three Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon on Nov. 22-23, adding to 226 healthcare worker deaths since Oct. 7, 2023. He did not specify how many of the recent deaths had been verified by UN human rights monitors.

Israel says it targets military capabilities in Lebanon and Gaza and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas, of hiding among civilians, which they deny.