Written by Were Kelly
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday forcefully rejected Israel’s characterization of the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza City as “voluntary,” calling the claim “nonsense” and accusing Israel of using a “manmade famine” to force people from their land.
Abdelatty’s comments, made at a joint press conference with Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), came a day after the Israeli military ordered a new mass evacuation from Gaza City as its forces advanced.
“If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say that this is voluntary displacement,” the Egyptian foreign minister stated.
His remarks directly countered the stance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has supported the idea that Palestinians should be allowed to “voluntarily” leave Gaza and suggested other countries should accept them. Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that he had spoken about the “basic human right of every individual to choose where they live, particularly during times of war.”
As a key mediator in efforts to broker a ceasefire, Abdelatty also revealed that he had spoken with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday to discuss intensifying efforts to implement the latest truce proposal. He placed the blame for the stalled negotiations squarely on Israel, citing its “intransigence” as the cause for the delay.
The minister’s statement referenced a Hamas agreement in August to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire. According to an Egyptian official source, that proposal included a suspension of Israeli military operations and outlined a framework for a comprehensive deal to end the nearly two-year-old conflict. It involved the return of half the hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Israel’s release of some Palestinian prisoners.
However, days after Hamas’s agreement, Netanyahu said Israel would resume negotiations only on terms acceptable to it, seeking the release of all hostages and an end to the war on its own conditions.
The public condemnation from Egypt, a historic mediator between Israel and Hamas, highlights the growing diplomatic friction and the profound challenges facing ceasefire efforts as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
SOURCE: REUTERS
