Shillong, October 19: Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, have reached an agreement to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing in a sustainable manner, as announced by the Egyptian presidency in a statement on Thursday.
During their phone conversation, President Biden expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts in promoting peace and stability in the region, according to the statement.
To ensure the arrival of aid, relevant authorities in both countries will coordinate with international humanitarian organizations under the supervision of the United Nations.
These discussions occurred shortly after President Biden concluded his visit to Tel Aviv, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
On the previous day, President Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and strongly rejected any attempts to relocate them to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Furthermore, Israel’s wartime cabinet had decided to permit basic humanitarian aid from Egypt to enter the Gaza Strip, a move characterized as “positive” by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
In recent days, significant quantities of humanitarian supplies from Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Turkey, and the World Health Organization (WHO) had been waiting near the Rafah crossing for delivery to Gaza but were impeded by Israeli bombardments.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7, has resulted in the loss of over 4,000 lives on both sides.