Egypt reiterates full support for UNRWA ‘indispensable’ role in Gaza

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Atty on Saturday reaffirmed Cairo’s full backing for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), describing its role as “indispensable,” during talks with Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini in Cairo, the foreign ministry said.

Abdel-Atty stressed that UNRWA, created by a UN General Assembly resolution, must continue its work until a just settlement is reached that establishes a Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He rejected Israeli efforts to curtail or replace the agency’s services, calling them a “dangerous precedent” that undermines international law and weaken confidence in international institutions. He underlined that only the UN General Assembly has the authority to determine the agency’s future.

The minister praised Lazzarini and his staff for their efforts to serve Palestinian refugees in the face of political, financial and operational pressures, and offered condolences for the more than 360 UNRWA employees killed during Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. He condemned attacks on the agency’s facilities as violations of international humanitarian law.

Talks focused on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ways to expand aid deliveries. Abdel-Atty also outlined Egypt’s mediation to secure a ceasefire, facilitate humanitarian access and counter settlement expansion in the West Bank.

He said Egypt, in coordination with Palestine, the United Nations and international partners, plans to host a conference after a ceasefire to mobilise support for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, consistent with the Arab Reconstruction Plan.

Abdel-Atty urged the international community to honour its political and financial commitments to UNRWA, stressing that the agency has a key role in providing essential services during early recovery and in supporting reconstruction.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English