Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza Conference

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

Your Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein,

King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

Your Excellency Mr. António Guterres, 

Secretary General of the United Nations,

Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, I extend my sincere gratitude to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for hosting this momentous conference. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Excellency the UN Secretary-General for their unwavering efforts to end the war in Gaza and alleviate the devastating humanitarian suffering it has caused. Furthermore, I extend my gratitude to all the nations that heeded the call to attend this joint conference, which Egypt is honored to co-chair.

Distinguished attendees,

The innocent Palestinian people of Gaza are besieged by disgraceful killing, mass starvation, and unspeakable terror and are subjected to both physical and psychological confinement, that stand as a stark reproach to the collective conscience of humanity. Today, they gaze upon us with eyes pleading with sorrow and hope, yearning for our meeting to offer them a glimmer of hope for a different tomorrow that restores their lost human dignity and their legitimate right to live in peace. They hope for a future that reestablishes some confidence in the international law and in the justice and credibility of the so-called "Rules-based International Order".

The responsibility for the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip lies squarely with the Israeli side. This crisis is the deliberate outcome of a devastating, vindictive war waged against the Strip, its people, its infrastructure, and its medical system. This outrageous war has employed mass starvation and brutal siege to render the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and forcibly displace its inhabitants from their lands, with utter disregard for international conventions and moral humanitarian principles and standards.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Egypt has repeatedly warned against the menace of this war, its repercussions, and the formidable consequences of the Israeli military operations in the Palestinian city of Rafah. These hostilities created a situation on the ground that obstructs the flow of humanitarian aid and relief, which were primarily entering the enclave through the Rafah crossing. Therefore, I hereby call, with the concerted efforts and will of those gathered today, for immediate, vigorous, and tangible steps to be taken to enforce the following:

First:

Egypt welcomes UN Security Council Resolution 2735, adopted yesterday (June 10, 2024) and other relevant resolutions and demands their full implementation. Egypt reiterates the crucial need for an urgent, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; the immediate release of all hostages and detainees; and full respect for international law and international humanitarian law, including the necessity to protect civilians and not to target the infrastructure, UN personnel, or medical and service staff in the Gaza Strip.

Second:

To oblige Israel to end the siege and stop using mass starvation as a collective punishment for the people of Gaza. This is in addition to committing Israel to remove all obstacles impeding the immediate, sustainable, and adequate flow of humanitarian relief aid to the Gaza Strip through all crossings, to secure conditions conducive to the delivery and distribution of this aid to the people of the Strip in all areas, and to withdraw from the city of Rafah.

Third:

To provide the necessary support and funding to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), allowing it to carry out its vital and key role in assisting Palestinian civilians. This is in addition to working toward implementing humanitarian affairs-related Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2720, and expediting the launch of the necessary UN mechanisms to facilitate the entry and distribution of relief aid in the Gaza Strip.

Fourth:

To create conditions conducive to the immediate return of the displaced Palestinians, who were forced to abandon their homes in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli war, to their areas of residence.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Military and security measures will only trigger more turmoil and bloodshed in our region. The only way to establish peace, stability, and coexistence in the region is to address the root-causes of the conflict through the two-state solution and to grant the Palestinian people their legitimate right to establish an independent, viable state, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, a state that enjoys full membership of the United Nations.

In this regard, I would like to commend the recognition of the State of Palestine by the governments of Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia. I also urge the rest of the world to follow suit and stand on the right side of history: the side of justice, peace, security, and hope.

Thank you

May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you