Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from João Cravinho, the Foreign Minister of Portugal, on Sunday, discussing the developments in Gaza and the international efforts required to halt the war and contain its consequences.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, stated that the two ministers extensively discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
They both agreed on the urgent need for the full and immediate implementation of the recent United Nations Security Council resolution, which includes the establishment of a UN-sponsored mechanism to expedite and monitor the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, adequately addressing the urgent needs of the Palestinian people.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid added that Minister Shoukry emphasized to his Portuguese counterpart the importance of international parties assuming their responsibilities in supporting a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
This is seen as the optimal way to effectively implement the Security Council’s resolution and to safeguard the lives of Palestinian civilians.
The Portuguese Foreign Minister shared this perspective, expressing his country’s aspirations for achieving a ceasefire in the nearest possible time.
Furthermore, Shoukry stressed that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza today also obliges international parties to accurately name the Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law for what they are, steering clear of misleading concepts advocating self-defense.
He emphasized the necessity of rejecting and stopping Israeli violations, which include policies of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians, such as targeting, besieging, forced displacement, and the complete destruction of essential infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
Ambassador Abu Zeid noted that the discussions between the two ministers also extended to cover the situation in the occupied West Bank, where there has been a surge in violence and Israeli settlers’ violations against Palestinians and their properties.
In this context, the Egyptian minister Shoukry warned of the security and political repercussions of entering into a new cycle of violence in the West Bank, calling for international action to halt settler violence, hold them accountable, and cease all illegal settlement activities.
