Sisi and Guterres stress necessity for Gaza Palestinians to remain on their land

CAIRO – 7 February 2025: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres reiterated their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from Gaza as they made a phone call on Friday.

Sisi and Guterres underscored the necessity for the Palestinian residents to remain on their land, calling for a collective international effort in this regard.

They advocated for the implementation of the two-state solution by establishing a Palestinian state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They emphasized the two-state solution as the central focus of international action at this time, representing the only path to achieving sustainable peace and the desired stability in the Middle East.

The president and the UN chief highlighted the urgent need to commence reconstruction operations in the Gaza Strip to restore normalcy in the enclave.

They discussed Egypt's efforts to maintain the current ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the release of captives and detainees, while ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip to alleviate the humanitarian crisis faced by its residents.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed Egypt's stance, as articulated by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in rejecting any proposals that entail the displacement of the Palestinian people from their lands in Gaza#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/iWwGY3PkpL

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) February 7, 2025

The call also underscored the pivotal role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in this context.

They emphasized the importance of international community efforts to support and empower the agency in fulfilling its responsibilities in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.

During their call, they addressed the developments in Lebanon, highlighting the importance of maintaining the ceasefire to restore stability in the country.

Discussions also touched upon the situations in Syria, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia, with Sisi emphasizing Egypt's commitment to the stability, unity, and territorial integrity of these brotherly nations.

CEASEFIRE HOLDS

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect on 19 January following over 15 months of war that devastated the enclave, killing more than 47,000 Palestinians and displacing most of the population.

The Israeli bombardment has damaged or destroyed more than two-thirds of Gaza's structures, according to UN estimates based on satellite data from January.

The ceasefire agreement has so far saw Hamas’ release of 18 captives out of dozens more still held in Gaza, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made a series of phone calls with several Arab counterparts to mass regional efforts in a bid to thwart the US proposal of displacing the Palestinian people out of their territories.#Egypt #Palestine #MiddleEast #Israel #GAZA | #تحيا_مصر… pic.twitter.com/3Z3SJECxjJ

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) February 7, 2025

The ceasefire remains intact despite US President Donald Trump's comments suggesting a plan for Washington to “take over” Gaza and relocate Palestinians, raising serious concerns about the possibility of a long-term peace in the enclave.

His proposal has sparked widespread condemnation from Arab and European nations, as well as from global powers like Russia and China, and US Democratic lawmakers.

RELIEF AID

Meanwhile, the ceasefire has also facilitated a significant increase in humanitarian aid, with nearly 9,000 aid trucks having entered Gaza since the ceasefire began, as reported by Al-Qahera News channel last week.

Amid a harsh humanitarian situation in Gaza, the UNRWA role is becoming increasingly important with the agency supporting millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

However, Israel has banned UNRWA, affecting its operations in the occupied Palestinian territory starting late in January, despite broad condemnation with many countries including Egypt affirming the urgency of backing the humanitarian agency.