Egypt, Jordan and France call for an end to the war in Gaza and reject any military action in Rafah

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and France called for an end to the Israeli war in Gaza, demanding, in a press conference that followed their tripartite meeting in Cairo, a guarantee of access for humanitarian workers to the Strip. They also stressed the rejection of any military operation in the city of Rafah.

On Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France called for an end to the Israeli war in Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 2023, also calling for ensuring the access and freedom of movement of all humanitarian workers, including in the northern Gaza Strip.

This came according to what Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, in a press conference in Cairo with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi and Frenchman Stephane Ségourney, broadcast by the private Cairo News Channel.

Shukri stressed that the tripartite meeting between Egypt, Jordan and France "confirmed the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza."

He added that he and his Jordanian and French counterparts affirmed "the refusal to displace Palestinians from their lands," and they also discussed the danger of carrying out any military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip), which is crowded with civilians.

On March 15, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a military operation in Rafah, without specifying a time frame for its start in the city crowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Israeli arrogance is unacceptable

In turn, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said: “The extremist Israeli government decided to use starvation as a weapon against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

He called on Israel to open borders and land crossings to bring aid into the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that "the future will be worse than what we are experiencing now if injustice and occupation do not end, and a just and comprehensive peace is achieved on the basis of a two-state solution that meets all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, most importantly their right to freedom, statehood, and dignity on their national soil, so that our region can live in security and peace."

He added: "We are facing unacceptable Israeli intransigence and arrogance in rejecting the two-state solution, and in refusing to find any political horizon."

Israel restricts the access of humanitarian aid to Gaza, causing a scarcity of food, medicine and fuel supplies and creating a famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly in the Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years and is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians in catastrophic conditions.

French rejection of a military operation in Rafah

In his speech, French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségourney said: “We agreed to work together to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”

He expressed his rejection of “any military action in the Palestinian city of Rafah,” noting that France had also presented proposals to resolve the crisis between Israel and Lebanon.

In light of the war in Gaza, the Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed, since October 8, 2023, an exchange of fire between the Israeli army on the one hand, and Hezbollah and Palestinian factions on the other hand, which led to deaths and injuries on both sides of the border.

Before the press conference, an Egyptian-Jordanian-French meeting began in Cairo to discuss paths for joint action to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The meeting comes as indirect negotiations continue in Doha between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with the aim of reaching a prisoner exchange deal and a second truce between the two parties, after the first lasted a week until the beginning of last December, and resulted in an exchange of prisoners and the entry of limited aid into the Strip. .

Last Monday, the UN Security Council issued a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, “in a step towards a permanent and sustainable ceasefire,” without Tel Aviv responding.