Egypt welcomes efforts alleviating human suffering in Gaza, urges Israel to operate border crossings to facilitate aid entry

CAIRO – 16 March 2024: Egypt's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ahmed Abu Zeid, expressed appreciation and welcome for efforts aimed at alleviating the human suffering inflicted upon the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Abu Zeid called on Israel to remove obstacles and restrictions hindering the entry of aid through land border crossings. He further urged Israel to operate the remaining crossings to facilitate the influx of more aid, thus preventing a worsening of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

These remarks from the spokesman come in response to inquiries from several reporters regarding Egypt's stance on the arrival of the first aid ship through the sea corridor to the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman extended gratitude to all international and regional parties that contributed to facilitating the arrival of this aid through the sea corridor.

Israel has killed 31,553 Palestinians and injured 73,546 others in the Gaza Strip since the 7th of October 2023: the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated in a brief statement, on Saturday.

The Israeli occupation forces committed seven massacres against families in the Gaza Strip and resulted in killing 63 people and injuring 112 others who were admitted to hospitals over the past 24 hours, the statement added.

Other victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them, the statement said.

The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas witnessed a new breakthrough after the Palestinian movement Hamas presented to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, Al Qahera news reported. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a military ground offensive in the Palestinian Rafah, and the Israeli army was preparing for it as per Netanyahu's Office.

Due to the ongoing war and Israeli restrictions, residents of Gaza, particularly in the Gaza and North governorates, are facing severe famine with shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies, leading to the displacement of about two million Palestinians from the Strip, which has been under siege by Israel for 17 years.