Egypt’s president warns of ‘real threat’ to Middle East stability

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on Wednesday of a real and serious threat to stability in the Middle East region amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

"Over the past few months, the region has been experiencing the devastating consequences of the ongoing war, as its flames spiraled outward,” Sisi said following talks in Cairo with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

"We are facing an extremely tense and dangerous regional situation that places the security, stability, and future of our people under a real and serious threat,” he added.

Talks between the two leaders dwelt on efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and ensure the full-fledged, unfettered and sustainable flow of sufficient aid to Palestinians in the strip, the presidency said in a statement.

The discussions also took up efforts to grant Palestine a full UN membership, it added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 33,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 76,600 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’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 Mohammad Sio in Istanbul