Cease-fire before Ramadan ‘imperative,’ says Egyptian Foreign Minister

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has stressed that a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance factions should be reached before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“It is imperative to reach a cease-fire before Ramadan for the safety of the Palestinian people,” the minister said during his first participation in the Antalya diplomatic forum in Türkiye.

He stressed that “it would be unacceptable that military activities continue” during Ramadan due to “the impact it will have not only on the civilian Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank but generally.”

The minister also reiterated his country’s refusal of any displacement plans for the Palestinians, both internally and externally.

“The issue of displacement, which is contrary to international humanitarian law, should not continue to take place, whether internally or outside of Palestine,” he said.

He considered the displacement of Palestinians a way of “liquidating the Palestinian cause,” adding that “it is not acceptable and is a violation of international humanitarian law.”

The official noted that his country “will continue to exert every effort [for a cease-fire].”

“We hope that there will be necessary flexibility and understanding of the dangers and the need for a cessation of hostilities so that the volume of humanitarian assistance can be increased, the threats of displacements can be dispelled, but primarily, it is the lives of the Palestinian people that has [sic] to be saved,” he added.

Israel has killed more than 30, 200 Palestinians and injured 70,457 others in the ongoing war on Gaza.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. However, Israel’s actions and policies — the latest of which was a massacre of civilians standing in queue for flour rations — reflect utter disregard towards the ICJ ruling.