Egypt’s Ministry of Labor forms monitoring committee to support Egyptian workers in Arab region amid ongoing US-Israeli-Iranian military escalation

CAIRO – 28 February 2026: Due to ongoing developments in several Arab countries, the Egyptian Ministry of Labor, under the leadership of Minister Hassan Radad, announced on Saturday the formation of a central monitoring committee within the ministry. 

The committee will be tasked with tracking regional developments and assessing their potential impact on Egyptian workers abroad, given the rapid changes in the region that require the highest levels of preparedness and readiness.

According to the ministry’s statement, the committee will maintain continuous communication with labor representation offices in Arab countries. It will receive periodic and field reports on the conditions of Egyptian workers, monitor their professional and living circumstances, and identify any challenges or risks they may face. Regular comprehensive reports will be submitted to the ministry to ensure swift decision-making and immediate intervention when necessary.

The statement affirmed that the Egyptian state places the safety and security of its citizens abroad at the forefront of its priorities. It emphasized the Ministry of Labor’s commitment to providing all forms of support, care, and protection to Egyptian workers overseas, and to addressing any emerging crises or challenges promptly and effectively, in full coordination with the relevant authorities, labor representation offices, and Egyptian diplomatic missions abroad.

The ministry further clarified that it will remain in constant session through this committee to ensure a rapid response to any regional developments and to provide comprehensive support to Egyptian workers wherever they may be, in fulfillment of its national duty to protect its citizens and safeguard their interests both at home and abroad.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that the number of Egyptians living abroad reached 11.08 million in 2022, Youm7 reported on March 30, 2025. According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the Arab region hosts 7.09 million Egyptian migrants, accounting for 62% of the total number of Egyptians residing abroad, the newspaper added.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States military has begun Major Combat Operations in Iran, calling on members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to lay down their weapons.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries,” he said in an eight-minute address.

“We're going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world, and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans, and we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”

In response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases and allied facilities in the Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, as well as on Israel. Some missiles were intercepted in countries like Jordan and the UAE.

The U.S. and Israel carried out further strikes on Iran, targeting military and government sites. A girls’ school in southern Iran was hit by Israel, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries among students reaching 88 people so far. The situation remains highly tense across the region, with air defenses on high alert and ongoing military exchanges.