The Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned in a statement today, Saturday, about the humanitarian and security ramifications of the Israeli ground assault on the Gaza Strip, stating: "Egypt holds the Israeli government responsible for violating the UN General Assembly resolution issued on Friday evening, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and the enforcement of a humanitarian truce that preserves the lives of civilians and allows for the entry of humanitarian aid into the region promptly and without interruption."
It also expressed "grave concern about the serious potential repercussions of the ground military operation, and what is expected to result from an increase in casualties and injuries among children, women, and unarmed civilians, in blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, amid complete failure from the international community to put an end to these violations and stop the bloodshed in the region."
Egypt stated that "Israeli obstacles," including truck inspection procedures, are hindering the immediate delivery of aid from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing. The spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry noted in a statement that "the inspection of buses is required at the Nitzana Israeli crossing opposite the Egyptian Al-Awja crossing, before the buses then travel to the Rafah crossing in a journey that covers a distance of 100 kilometers before entering the Gaza Strip, which creates bureaucratic burdens and obstacles that significantly delay the arrival of said aid."
Egypt reiterated its demand for "facilitating safe, complete, and sustainable access to humanitarian and relief aid to the Gaza Strip," warning that "failure to urgently address the demands for a humanitarian truce and facilitate access to aid into the region will inevitably lead to a humanitarian disaster and destabilization of regional security, posing a threat to the stability of the area."
