Cairo - Saba:
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and France on Monday called for an immediate return to ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to protect Palestinians and ensure their immediate and full receipt of emergency aid.
The final statement of the tripartite summit between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Jordanian King Abdullah II, held yesterday, Monday, affirmed that "in the context of the resumption of Israeli military strikes on Gaza, the leaders called for an immediate return to the ceasefire to protect Palestinians and ensure their immediate and full receipt of emergency humanitarian aid."
The three leaders called for the implementation of "the ceasefire agreement signed on January 19, which stipulates the release of all prisoners and detainees and the guarantee of everyone's security."
In the joint statement, the three countries affirmed that "the protection of civilians and humanitarian aid workers, and ensuring the full delivery of aid, are obligations that must be fulfilled under international law and international humanitarian law."
Macron, Sisi, and Abdullah II expressed their "deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank and East Quds," calling for an end to all "unilateral measures that undermine the possibility of achieving a two-state solution and increase tensions." They also emphasized the need to "respect the historical status quo of the holy sites in Quds."
The statement affirmed the three leaders' rejection of "the displacement of Palestinians from their land and any attempt to annex Palestinian territories."
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and France called for international support for the Gaza reconstruction plan, adopted by the Arab Summit held in Cairo on March 4 and adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on March 7. They discussed mechanisms for its effective implementation.
The Israeli enemy resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip on March 18, followed by a new ground incursion, after a pause of approximately two months, specifically since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect on January 19. Israel reneged on the agreement and moved to its second phase.
A few days ago, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced an expansion of the military operation in Gaza, indicating plans to seize control of large areas of the Strip and incorporate them into what he described as a "defensive security zone" in the southern Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was supposed to continue once the first phase of the agreement ended on March 1, 2023, and the second phase entered its final phase. However, Israel's reneging on the agreement prevented this from happening.
The first phase of the agreement, which lasted 42 days, witnessed prisoner exchanges between the two sides, following a barbaric, fascist, and devastating aggression launched by Israeli enemy forces against the Gaza Strip. This aggression lasted for more than 15 months, specifically since October 7, 2023. The aggression resulted in the deaths of more than 170,000 Palestinians, including martyrs, wounded, and missing persons.
| more of (International) |