2023-10-17 22:56:38
US President Joe Biden heads to Israel tonight in a show of solidarity as 1,400 people have been killed there due to a Hamas attack, along with at least 3,000 people killed in Gaza since Israeli air strikes began. Immediate concerns focus on trying to deliver basic life necessities to people currently living under… Israeli siege.
The only way now is through the Rafah crossing, and our network anchor, Christiane Amanpour, spoke with the Egyptian Foreign Minister regarding the conditions there and the reason why aid has not yet entered Gaza.
Below we present the dialogue:
Christiane Amanpour: Sameh Shoukry, welcome to the program. Can I start by asking you: What is the problem at the Rafah crossing? Why does relief not reach people in Gaza?
Sameh Shoukry: There are currently miles of humanitarian aid trucks between Al-Arish and Rafah at the side of the road waiting to be able to enter Gaza. The Rafah crossing has been bombed four times over the past few days, one of which was when we were trying to repair some damage, and 4 Egyptian workers were injured. The crossing was damaged, and the roads between the Egyptian side and the Gaza Strip are severely damaged and need to be repaired. We also do not have a permit or safe roads for these convoys to be able to enter safely and without any possibility of being targeted. This is the current situation, and we are working hard in the hope that the crossing will be open and able to be repaired so that convoys can enter. There is a great need among those displaced from northern Gaza who are now suffering from lack of food, water and shelter, and they are suffering greatly. But so far, no safe passage has been provided and there is no ability to repair the damage to the crossing.
Christiane Amanpour: We saw, CNN reported that there were indeed airstrikes around Rafah, and we showed that in our broadcast today, plumes of smoke around that area. My question to you is, even if it is open and if you allow humanitarian convoys in, who do you want to let out? Because obviously there is tremendous pressure. The Palestinians are trying to escape. Will you accept tens or hundreds of thousands of desperate Palestinians into Egypt?
Sameh Shoukry: I see this is a question we get repeatedly, and I am surprised that this should not be the case. What should be allowed is to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to remain on their lands. This transfer and displacement violates humanitarian law. I do not understand what is the purpose of transferring, unless intentional, large numbers of people to a country that is already home to 9 million refugees, which will see an additional influx of this kind. I think that many European countries are very sensitive to this issue and are doing everything possible to avoid it. I know that the United States has a problem on its southern border and is restricting the entry of those who seek it. I wonder why it should be assumed that Egypt will allow the influx of one or two million people from a population that is suffering because of the consequences of being targeted unnecessarily.
Christiane Amanpour: I just want to know if this is also a concern that they will never be allowed back? For example, the Jordanians have said that any attempt to move Palestinians out of the occupied West Bank is a red line for them, and I wonder if you are concerned – like other Arab leaders who are certainly Palestinians – that even if you let them in, it would be the end of their ability to Return to Gaza?
Sameh Shoukry: Well, that’s certainly a possibility, and that may be the intention – that they are being forcibly displaced and that they are losing their property and losing their homeland for a political reason. This is absolutely a violation if it does not constitute a war crime in itself, this displacement, the forced displacement of a population of this size is unjustified and needless.
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