Egypt’s Sisi, UN Chief say Palestine-Israeli war poses danger to peace, security in ME region

CAIRO – 9 October 2023: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the escalating developments of the current crisis between the Palestinians and Israelis and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The President and the UN Secretary-General agreed that the crisis poses a danger to peace and security in the region as well as the need to halt to military operations on various fronts, protect civilians through immediate measures to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation, and provide an opportunity for diplomatic efforts to contain the situation, restore calm, and revive the peace process.

The President also stressed the need to work seriously to find a just solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions issued in this regard, as Egypt continues its efforts to support future steps in this regard, in addition to the important role of the United Nations in coordinating with the active parties in the international community to contribute to this path, which is indispensable for achieving sustainable peace and security in the Middle East.

President Sisi also received a phone call from President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides on Monday, discussing the latest escalation between the Palestinians and Israelis.

The two Presidents discussed ongoing efforts to stop the escalation between the Palestinians and Israelis., said the Egyptian Presidency in a statement.

They agreed on the importance of consolidating all efforts at the regional and international levels to urge the parties to give priority to the path of self-restraint and move away from the cycle of violence to spare the civilians the consequences of this escalation.

President Sisi confirmed that Egypt is continuing its intensive contacts with the various parties in order to achieve calm and halt the mutual escalation.

President Sisi also underscored the importance of dealing with the Palestinian issue from a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of the crisis and realizes durable stability in the region.

The phone call also tackled prospects for enhancing the firm bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus as well as within the framework of the Tripartite Cooperation Mechanism with Greece.

Today, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received a phone call from President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The call focused on developments on the Palestinian arena and efforts underway to stop the ongoing military escalation.

President Sisi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed agreed on the importance of intensive coordination and consultations and of pushing forward diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing the escalation and violence, protecting civilians, sparing the blood and embarking on the path of achieving just, comprehensive and durable peace to reinforce security and stability in the region.

Also, Sisi and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, stressed that achieving sustainable stability in the region requires reaching a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause.

This settlement has to be based on the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, Sisi and Abbas agreed in a phone call on Sunday to discuss the current ongoing security and military escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Sisi and Abbas underlined the danger posed by the absence of a political horizon, highlighting the worsening situation that threatens the lives of civilians and the security and stability of the region.

Palestinian Hamas fighters breached the heavily fortified border from Gaza and entered nearby settlements, resulting in casualties and the capture of soldiers and civilians in an unprecedented attack.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the Israeli Ministry of Health announced the death toll among Israelis had risen to 900 and 2,500 injured others.

Meanwhile, The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the number of Palestinian killed by Israeli ongoing airstrikes on the Gaza Strip reached 687 martyrs, including 140 children and 105 women. The total number of the death toll in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank reached 704 people and about 3,900 injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced.