Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, says she is “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, following a visit to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and a meeting with President el-Sisi.
During a visit to Egypt, the Foreign Affairs Committee investigated conditions in Al Arish, on Egypt’s border with Gaza. The city in North Sinai is the organising point for all aid entering Gaza via the heavily controlled Rafah crossing, the only point of transit between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
In Al Arish, MPs visited an Egyptian Red Crescent Society warehouse, where they spoke with local volunteers about the serious difficulties distributing aid to Gaza. They also met with patients evacuated from Gaza and medics at the Al Arish General Hospital, and with officials from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other humanitarian agencies such as UNICEF.
MPs also spent time in Cairo, where in addition to the President they met with senior Egyptian government representatives including Assistant Foreign Minister for Europe Khaled Emara and Assistant Minister for Arab Affairs Mohamed El Badri. They also met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, and Egyptian civil society leaders and human rights activists.
The Committee also conducted meetings in Saudi Arabia, including with the Minister of Commerce Majid Al Qassabi; Head of Policy Planning in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rayed Krimly; members of the Shura Council; President of the Human Rights Commission Hala Al Tawaijri and officials from the US Embassy in Saudi capital Riyadh.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns MP, said: “We’ve just returned from the aid staging location in Egypt, where thousands of trucks are sat waiting to deliver aid.
“Egypt is playing an important role in the current crisis as a mediator between Israel and Hamas towards a truce and enabling the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. We also held important discussions with counterparts regarding crises such as Sudan, Yemen and beyond.
“I am deeply concerned about the situation Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee saw at Egypt’s border with Gaza. We saw hundreds upon hundreds of trucks sitting in Al Arish, unable to deliver their goods to those so desperately in need of the lifesaving aid they carry due to insufficient opening hours of the crossing, inconsistent restrictions on what items can enter Gaza, and a lack of de-confliction to protect humanitarian operations.
“We also saw tonnes of goods that had been rejected. Last month there was almost a week where no trucks entered Gaza with aid and 17,000 children are now unaccompanied due to being separated from their families or being orphaned.
“Saudi Arabia is an important and influential power broker in the Middle East, with a key role to play in maintaining stability in the region.
“It was productive to discuss with interlocutors the crisis in Gaza, how to bring a long-term resolution to the conflict, and to discuss geopolitical priorities such as Yemen and beyond.”