Experts Discuss Humanitarian Relief Challenges in Gaza in a BA Seminar
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The BA Center for Strategic Studies organized today a seminar entitled “Challenges of Humanitarian Relief in Gaza” on the Egyptian role in supporting humanitarian relief operations in Gaza and the challenges faced by the UN, regional organizations and NGOs.
The seminar was inaugurated by Dr. Ahmed Zayed, Director of the BA, who stressed that Egypt's position has been clear since the beginning of the crisis, starting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's announcement that the Rafah border is permanently and uninterruptedly open. He also added that several official statements have confirmed that Egypt is collecting aid and demanding to facilitate its entry process and avoid its obstruction, but Israel has blocked access for aid and insisted on achieving specific goals, disregarding international laws and conventions.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sherbiny, advisor to the BA Center for Strategic Studies, said that relief organizations play a heroic role in bringing aid into Gaza, as they operate in extremely complex circumstances.
The seminar was moderated by Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Al-Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who stated that relief is not only humanitarian but also a political, as Egypt is the lifeline of the Palestinian people.
For her part, Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the Arab League, stressed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and that Egypt plays a vital role in relief and support operations. She pointed out that the Arab League has conducted several campaigns in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent, which in turn cooperates with the Palestinian Red Crescent.
In addition, MP Dr. Talaat Abdel Qawi, Chairman of the General Union of NGOs and Civil Society Organizations and member of the National Alliance for Civil Development Work, said that on October 8, 2023, under the guidance of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the National Alliance was able to equip 108 vehicules loaded with food, water, clothes and tents, but they remained in Rafah for ten days due to the Israeli side's refusal to enter aid, in addition to the border bombing on the Palestinian side.
In his speech, Dr. Ayman Al-Raqab, Professor of Political Science at Al-Quds Open University, stated that Egypt has brought six thousand trucks into Gaza, and opened the doors for the sick and wounded for treatment, in light of Israeli intransigence and obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid, and its insistence on inspecting and determining the type of food entering the Strip.