Egypt urges ‘sustained’ humanitarian access to Gaza, start of early recovery

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged “sustained and unhindered” humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip on Thursday and the start of early recovery efforts to provide livelihoods for Palestinians, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Anadolu reports.

Abdelatty made the remarks while participating in a ministerial roundtable on humanitarian access and healthcare in Gaza.

The meeting was held in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and hosted by the UK in partnership with Jordan and Qatar to discuss humanitarian access and healthcare in Gaza.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary Ed Miliband hosted the meeting, which was co-chaired by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Qatar, whose representative was not named in a statement.

Several foreign ministers, senior officials and representatives of international organizations and humanitarian agencies also attended.

Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians and its continued contacts with parties aimed at improving humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

He stressed the importance of preserving the unity of Palestinian territory and maintaining geographic and political contiguity between Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

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Abdelatty also emphasized the need to “support Palestinian institutions and enable them to fulfill their responsibilities while preserving the central role of UN agencies, particularly the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).”

“Such efforts would strengthen the resilience of Palestinians on their land and pave the way for early recovery and reconstruction as part of a credible political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said.

Participants discussed developments in the humanitarian, health and field situation in Gaza and ways to translate international efforts into practical measures to improve living conditions for Palestinians.

They also discussed completing the requirements of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan and moving without delay to the second phase while ensuring that all parties fulfill their commitments and consolidate the ceasefire.

The meeting stressed the need to guarantee safe, full, sustained and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical aid, facilitate medical evacuations for patients and injured people, and allow the entry of supplies, medicines and equipment needed to operate hospitals and vital facilities.

Participants also discussed urgent preparations to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza as winter approaches.

The talks come as Gaza faces catastrophic humanitarian conditions amid Israel’s genocidal war since Oct. 8, 2023, which has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured 174,000, while 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed.

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