The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stated that the current session of the Economic and Social Council is taking place amidst highly complex and dangerous regional and international circumstances. He highlighted the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip since October 7, where Palestinians are facing acts of genocide by the occupying forces. This situation is exacerbated by the international community’s inaction, which has emboldened the occupier to continue its brutality, openly displaying plans devoid of any humanity.
In his speech at the Economic and Social Council’s ministerial-level meeting, he expressed concern over the occupation leaders’ announced intentions to invade the city of Rafah, where over 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge from indiscriminate bombings across the Gaza Strip.
He added that such an invasion would lead to a humanitarian disaster and potentially ignite the regional situation, a scenario strongly warned against by many global voices, including some supporters of the occupation. He called for urgent action from all parties aware of the situation’s gravity to halt these reckless plans before it’s too late.
Earlier this week, Aboul Gheit highlighted the challenge of garnering sufficient momentum for Palestinians to achieve statehood. He responded to the Israeli Minister’s claim that Hamas’ ammunition supplies largely pass through Egypt, attributing significant responsibility to Cairo for the events of October 7th.
Egypt previously expressed its complete rejection of statements by high-ranking Israeli officials regarding a potential military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, warning of the severe consequences of such actions, especially given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In a statement from Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, there was a call for international and regional efforts to prevent targeting the Palestinian city of Rafah, which has become a refuge for nearly 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, being one of the last safe areas in the Gaza Strip.
