Egypt’s Sisi Warns of Region Sliding towards ‘Unprecedented’ Conflict

In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
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Egypt’s Sisi Warns of Region Sliding towards ‘Unprecedented’ Conflict

In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged on Saturday the international community to take “serious and immediate” action to stop the region from slipping into a “new and unprecedented conflict.”

Sisi received in Cairo President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference.

The officials underscored the “depth and strength” of Egypt-EU ties that have recently been elevated to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, said an Egyptian presidency spokesman.

They tackled means to confront the rising regional challenges, especially the developments in Gaza and their impact on the region and its stability, he added.

Sisi stressed the need to intensify international efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the coastal enclave.

He reiterated Egypt’s concern over the eruption of a wider conflict in the region, urging the international community to act to stop it from happening.

Sisi and von der Leyen agreed that “reaching a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution and international resolutions will remain the best way to secure sustainable stability in the region,” said the spokesman.



Israel Orders Palestinians to Flee Khan Younis

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip queue for water at a makeshift tent camp in the southern town of Khan Younis, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip queue for water at a makeshift tent camp in the southern town of Khan Younis, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Israel Orders Palestinians to Flee Khan Younis

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip queue for water at a makeshift tent camp in the southern town of Khan Younis, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip queue for water at a makeshift tent camp in the southern town of Khan Younis, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Khan Younis on Monday, a sign that troops are likely to launch a new ground assault in the Gaza Strip's second largest city.

The order suggested Khan Younis will be the latest of Israel's repeated raids into parts of Gaza it has already invaded over the past eight months, pursuing Hamas militants as they regroup. Much of Khan Younis was already destroyed in a long assault earlier this year, but large numbers of Palestinians have since moved back in to escape another Israeli offensive in Gaza's southern-most city, Rafah.

The evacuation call covered the entire eastern half of Khan Younis and surrounding areas. Last week, the military ordered a similar evacuation from the north Gaza district of Shujaiya, where there has been intensive fighting since.

Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many displaced multiple times.

Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and the breakdown of public order have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.