The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Egypt on Monday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on how to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) said that Borrell’s visit takes place “against the background of the war in Gaza, where the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the fate of hostages make an urgent ceasefire ever more critical”.
Gaza is on the brink of famine and healthcare collapse due to repeated Israeli strikes that have decimated the region in retaliation for the Hamas terrorist attacks and hostage-taking in Israel on 7 October last year.
Following his meeting with the Egyptian president, Borrell is due to travel to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing that connects with Gaza, where he will meet with UN agencies on the ground, the EEAS said.
He will also inaugurate an EU-funded project to help Gazan children and those who take care of them in Egypt, and discuss mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, the US and Qatar, as well as the EU’s role in alleviating human suffering in the Gaza Strip.
- Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip kill more than a dozen people
- Israeli strikes in Syria kill 16 and wound scores, Syrian state media says
Borrell will also travel to Lebanon later this week to discuss the country’s stability and its regional role in the wider conflict, the EEAS said.
“The mission forms part of the EU’s continuous regional outreach to prevent further escalation,” the agency added.
Borrell’s visit comes at a time of heightened tension after a Jordanian lorry driver shot and killed three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge crossing point between Jordan and the West Bank on Sunday.
The trip to Egypt also follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calls last week for Israeli forces to remain in the Salah Al Din corridor in Gaza near the Egyptian border. The status of the area would constitute a significant part of any ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
