UNSC resolution for Gaza ceasefire must be immediately implemented: Egypt FM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry called for the immediate implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2728, which calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan.
Shoukry also stressed the need to build upon the resolution to reach a permanent ceasefire that extends beyond Ramadan to spare the loss of innocent Palestinian lives.
He made the remarks in a meeting with a delegation from the Palestinian Fatah movement, headed by its Deputy Chairman, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Shoukry underlined the necessity to put a permanent end to the humanitarian catastrophe faced by the Palestinians in Gaza.
He called for halting Israeli practices of collective punishment against Palestinians, including through indiscriminate targeting, siege, starvation, and complete destruction of infrastructure in Gaza.
For the first time since the Israeli war erupted in Gaza on 7 October, the 15-member UNSC adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire after a majority 14-0 vote in favour of the resolution.
The United States, which vetoed all previous ceasefire resolutions at the council, abstained from voting.
The US ambassador to the UN claimed the resolution is "non-binding."
"It is our interpretation of this resolution that it is non-binding," US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller also said.
Egypt has welcomed the decision as “the first important and necessary step to stop the bloodshed,” highlighting, however, its “imbalance due to the limited timeframe and the obligations therein.”
The Israeli war on Gaza has killed more than 32,414 Palestinians and injured almost 75,000. The war has also destroyed a majority of homes and infrastructure in the strip, and left many of the 2.4 million civilian population on the brink of famine.
During the meeting with the Fatah delegation, Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s categorical rejection of Israeli plans to forcibly displace the Palestinians and liquidate the Palestinian cause.
He warned that these practices seek to undermine the prospects of peace and peaceful coexistence in the region.
Additionally, Shoukry affirmed the need to resume funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
He underlined the agency’s indispensable role in providing vital services across Gaza, including in the north.
Escalation in West Bank
The war in Gaza has been accompanied by an escalation in Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Israel reported last week the illegal seizure of 8,000 dunums (1,977 acres) of land in the West Bank, which activists called the largest action of its kind in decades.
During the meeting, Shoukry denounced the continuation of illegal Israeli settlement expansion, including through the confiscation of land in the West Bank.
He was also briefed on the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including restrictions and violations against Palestinian worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Shoukry warned that these developments risk the situation getting out of control in the entire occupied Palestinian territory.
Short link: