Egypt renews call for Gaza cease-fire at UN disarmament conference

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry renewed on Monday his country’s call for a cease-fire in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

"The ongoing war in Gaza, which witnessed an official threat to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian people, requires all peace forces to work to restore and strengthen the foundations of regional stability in the Middle East,” Shoukry said in a speech to the High-Level Segment (HLS) of 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

In November, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu threatened to strike the Gaza Strip with a “nuclear bomb” following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

The top Egyptian diplomat reiterated Cairo’s categorical rejection of any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

He also called for legally binding security guarantees not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 29,782 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar