Ankara: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has called for a truce in Gaza before the holy month of Ramzan expected to begin this year around March 11.
“I believe that everyone recognises that it is necessary to reach a ceasefire before Ramzan both for the security of Palestinians and due to its religious nature,” Shoukry told the semi-official Anadolu Agency on Friday in southern Turkey where he was attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The Egyptian Minister emphasised that the military actions during Ramzan would not only affect civilians in Gaza and the West Bank but also create a tense atmosphere in the Arab and Muslim world, Xinhua news agency reported.
Cairo calls for an immediate ceasefire, Shoukry said, adding, “We are working on this, and we will continue to make every effort. We hope for the necessary flexibility and understanding in ending dangers and hostilities.”
Discussing a plan that would allow Israel to carry out military operations while ensuring the safety of civilians is not appropriate, he added.
The ongoing Antalya Diplomacy Forum hosts representatives from 147 countries around the world.
According to diplomatic sources, nearly 4,500 participants, including 19 heads of state, 73 Ministers, and 57 international representatives, attended this year’s forum.
UN team visits Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza
A UN team visited Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and brought aid, the first time the world body has been able to deliver aid into besieged northern Gaza in over a week, said UN humanitarians.
A team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organisation and the UN Children’s Fund visited Al-Shifa and brought with them medicines, vaccines and fuel to help ensure that the medical facility remains functioning, said OCHA.
The team also met with people who were among those injured on Thursday while seeking life-saving aid west of Gaza City, Xinhua news agency reported.
The hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, has reportedly admitted more than 700 people injured in that incident, about 200 of whom were still hospitalised on Friday, OCHA added.
By the time of the team’s visit on Friday morning, the hospital had also received the bodies of more than 70 people who had been killed in the incident. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the overall death toll from Thursday’s incident has reached 112, said OCHA.
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