Egypt calls for ‘immediate steps’ to end Israeli war on Gaza

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Tuesday for “immediate steps” to stop the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

"The unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is a direct responsibility of the Israeli occupation,” Sisi said in a speech at an emergency aid conference for the Gaza Strip, hosted by Jordan.

He called for “immediate, effective, and serious steps” to halt the war in Gaza and release the hostages and detainees.

The Egyptian leader also demanded the implementation of international resolutions “to stop the offensive in Gaza, compel Israel to stop using starvation tactics against Palestinians, and end the siege on Gaza.”

The humanitarian aid conference, dubbed “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza”, is organized by Jordan, Egypt and the UN.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 37,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 84,800 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 from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala