Egypt's President Sisi in talks to get aid to Gaza, presidency says

Israeli bombardments on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing into Egypt, the main crossing out of Gaza not controlled by Israel, have disrupted operations there.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023 (photo credit: BANDAR ALGALOUD/COURTESY OF SAUDI ROYAL COURT/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023
(photo credit: BANDAR ALGALOUD/COURTESY OF SAUDI ROYAL COURT/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is in talks with international and regional partners to enable aid deliveries into Gaza and to de-escalate the fighting there, his office said on Sunday.

Israeli bombardments on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing into Egypt, the main crossing out of Gaza not controlled by Israel, have disrupted operations there.

Aid from several countries has been building up in Egypt's Sinai peninsula due to a failure to reach a deal enabling its safe delivery to Gaza and enabling evacuations of some foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Saturday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is "fast becoming untenable."

 Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi gives a statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination, during a European Union - African Union summit, in Brussels, Belgium February 18, 2022. (credit: Johanna Geron/Pool/Reuters)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi gives a statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination, during a European Union - African Union summit, in Brussels, Belgium February 18, 2022. (credit: Johanna Geron/Pool/Reuters)

The statement from Sisi's office also said Egypt rejected any plan to displace Palestinians "to the detriment of other countries," and said Egypt's own security was a red line.

Sisi also proposed a summit to discuss the crisis, according to the statement.

Later, Reuters reported that Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel's reaction to Hamas' attack went beyond self-defense and amounted to collective punishment.

In televised comments during a meeting with Blinken in Cairo on Sunday, Sisi also said he rejects the targeting of any civilians in the ongoing conflict.