Macron to Hold Gaza Summit with Egyptian, Jordanian Leaders

 French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a meeting with representatives of the sectors affected by new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a meeting with representatives of the sectors affected by new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP)
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Macron to Hold Gaza Summit with Egyptian, Jordanian Leaders

 French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a meeting with representatives of the sectors affected by new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a meeting with representatives of the sectors affected by new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he would hold a trilateral summit on the situation in Gaza with Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Israel has pushed to seize territory in Gaza since the collapse of a short-lived truce in its war with Hamas, in what it has called a strategy to force the group to free hostages still in captivity.

Simultaneously, Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon and Syria.

"In response to the Gaza emergency and during my visit to Egypt at President al-Sisi's invitation, we will hold a trilateral summit with the Egyptian president and the King of Jordan," Macron wrote on X ahead of his trip.

The French president is expected in Cairo on Sunday evening, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart on Monday morning.

The trilateral summit will be held the same day in the Egyptian capital, according to Macron's office.

On Tuesday, Macron will also visit the Egyptian port of El-Arish, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, to meet humanitarian and security workers and demonstrate his "constant mobilization in favor of a ceasefire".

El-Arish is a transit point for international aid intended for Gaza.



Aid to Gaza 'Facing Total Collapse', Warn 12 NGOs

 A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Aid to Gaza 'Facing Total Collapse', Warn 12 NGOs

 A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian boy looks through a hole in the wall into a damaged room after an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. (AFP)

The humanitarian aid system in Gaza is "facing total collapse" because of Israel's blockade on aid supplies since March 2, the heads of 12 major aid organizations warned Thursday, urging Israel to let them "do our jobs".

Israel has vowed to maintain its blockage on humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged territory, saying it is the only way to force Hamas to release the 58 hostages still held there.

"Every single person in Gaza is relying on humanitarian aid to survive," the chief executives of 12 NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, wrote in a joint statement.

"That lifeline has been completely cut off since a blockade on all aid supplies was imposed by Israeli authorities on March 2," they said, adding that "This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation."

A survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organizations working in Gaza found that almost all have suspended or drastically cut services since a ceasefire ended on March 18, "with widespread and indiscriminate bombing making it extremely dangerous to move around", the NGOs said.

"Famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza," they said. "Survival itself is now slipping out of reach and the humanitarian system is at breaking point."

"We call on all parties to guarantee the safety of our staff and to allow the safe, unfettered access of aid into and across Gaza through all entry points, and for world leaders to oppose further restrictions."

Israel's renewed assault has killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.