Ursula von der Leyen's speech (center) came during the Egyptian-European Six-Party Summit in Cairo (French)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that the Gaza Strip is facing famine, which is unacceptable, and called for a quick ceasefire agreement.
Von der Leyen - during her speech at the Egyptian-European Six-Party Summit in Cairo - expressed the European Union's concerns about the repercussions of Israel launching a military operation in Rafah.
She added that it is important to reach a quick ceasefire agreement now, leading to the liberation of prisoners and allowing more humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip.
The President of the European Commission added that she will work side by side with Egypt and other partners to direct aid to Gaza through all possible ways, and pointed out that Egypt is the pillar of stability and security in the Middle East.
Von der Leyen stressed the need to protect civilians, and that there should be no forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
It called for reaching a ceasefire as soon as possible that would allow the release of prisoners and the delivery of more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The President of the European Commission warned of a military operation in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
It expressed concern about its risks to the defenseless civilian population there.
In a related context, she said that we want to work for lasting peace based on the principle of the two-state solution.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip adjacent to the Egyptian border, leaving tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice. Charged with genocide for the first time since its founding.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies