Azerbaijani president calls for ending ‘tragedy’ in Gaza as soon as possible

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday called for ending the “tragedy” in Gaza as soon as possible and establish a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Aliyev said: "Azerbaijan's attitude is clear. An independent Palestinian state should be established and East Jerusalem should be its capital. The tragedy in Gaza must end as soon as possible, the war must be stopped and all problems must be resolved through negotiations."

For his part, Al-Sisi noted that he and Aliyev discussed issues of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in various fields and ensuring political coordination on regional and international issues.

Noting that regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue, came to the fore during the meeting, the Egyptian president said that his country considers the situation in Gaza to be the main issue in the region.

Al-Sisi also spoke about the efforts made by Egypt to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to achieve a cease-fire.

The leaders also signed several documents to pave the way for enhancing cooperation in different domains.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge.