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Cairo Asks UNESCO Not to ‘Politicize Discussions’

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the President of the Executive Board of UNESCO. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the President of the Executive Board of UNESCO. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Cairo Asks UNESCO Not to ‘Politicize Discussions’

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the President of the Executive Board of UNESCO. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the President of the Executive Board of UNESCO. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Egypt has urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to abstain from “politicizing discussions” at its headquarters.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Monday with Tamara Rastovac, President of the Executive Board of UNESCO.

The organization should adopt its decisions based on consensus, following broad consultation, according to the Minister.

Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Shoukry called on UNESCO to focus on its “main tasks in the areas of education, science and culture”.

The meeting also discussed ways to strengthen the role of UNESCO in supporting the requests of member states to restore their stolen cultural heritage and property, said Abu Zeid.

For her part, Rastovac stressed her keenness to work through consensus and the participation of all members in formulating the stances of the organization away from political polarization, to ensure the implementation of its developmental and cultural goals.

Egypt has raised this topic several times. In 2018, Cairo warned, in its speech during the 204th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, against the consequences of continuing to politicize the organization and involving it in political issues.

Cairo had said that the organization has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of member states.

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Bodies of Eight Red Crescent Medics Recovered in Gaza, One Still Missing

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent and other emergency services carry bodies of fellow rescuers killed a week earlier by Israeli forces, during a funeral procession at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. (AFP)
Members of the Palestine Red Crescent and other emergency services carry bodies of fellow rescuers killed a week earlier by Israeli forces, during a funeral procession at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Bodies of Eight Red Crescent Medics Recovered in Gaza, One Still Missing

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent and other emergency services carry bodies of fellow rescuers killed a week earlier by Israeli forces, during a funeral procession at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. (AFP)
Members of the Palestine Red Crescent and other emergency services carry bodies of fellow rescuers killed a week earlier by Israeli forces, during a funeral procession at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. (AFP)

The bodies of eight Palestine Red Crescent medics who came under fire in Gaza just over a week ago have been recovered, though a ninth worker is still unaccounted for, the Red Cross said.

In a statement late on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "appalled" at the deaths.

"Their bodies were identified today and have been recovered for dignified burial. These staff and volunteers were risking their own lives to provide support to others," it said.

The Palestine Red Crescent said it also recovered the bodies of six civil defense members and one UN employee from the same area. It said Israeli forces had targeted the workers. Red Cross statements did not apportion blame for the attacks.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said one worker from the nine-strong Red Crescent group was still unaccounted for. The group went missing on March 23.

The Israeli military said on Monday that an inquiry had found that on March 23, troops opened fire on a group of vehicles that included ambulances and fire trucks when the vehicles approached a position without prior coordination and without headlights or emergency signals.

It said several fighters belonging to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups were killed.

"The Israeli army condemns the repeated use of civilian infrastructure by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, including the use of medical facilities and ambulances for terrorist purposes," it said in a statement.

It did not comment directly on the deaths of the Red Cross workers.

The incident was the single most deadly attack on Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere since 2017, the IFRC said.

"I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians," said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.

"They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked," he added.

According to the United Nations, at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the 18 months since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The global body is reducing its international staff in Gaza by a third due to staff safety concerns.