Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Barnpri Bahida Nokara, Thailand's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, on Wednesday to discuss the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and its implications. The Thai minister was visiting the region to consult on the situation. Ahmed Abou Zeid, the foreign ministry spokesperson, said that the two ministers had an in-depth dialogue and shared their views on the worsening humanitarian and security conditions in Gaza. Shoukry emphasised the importance of coordinating efforts to end the violence and establish a humanitarian ceasefire that protects the lives of Palestinian civilians and provides them with the necessary humanitarian and relief assistance. He also welcomed Thailand's vote in favour of the Arab Group's resolution at the UN General Assembly that called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, as a decision that reflects the values of peace and compassion. He urged the international community to act to implement the ceasefire in accordance with the resolution and to save the lives of innocent civilians. The two ministers also discussed the Egyptian efforts, in cooperation with countries and UN relief agencies, to deliver humanitarian assistance, as well as the situation of third-country nationals in Gaza. Shoukry stressed the need to coordinate international efforts to overcome the obstacles imposed by Israel to ensure full and sustainable access to aid. He also expressed Cairo's readiness to work jointly with international partners to facilitate and provide protection for third-country nationals and to release hostages. The Thai minister praised Egypt's balanced role in the midst of the crisis and its efforts to enforce humanitarian aid to Gaza. He affirmed Thailand's keenness to continue coordination and joint work to ensure the safe return of Thai citizens to their country and the delivery of necessary humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Shoukry stressed that the only way to avoid further violence in the region and its potential consequences on international peace and security is to enforce the humanitarian ceasefire immediately and to prioritize the international community's actions to support the path of establishing a just and comprehensive peace in the region based on the two-state solution. Shoukry also received David Lamy, foreign minister of the opposition Labour Party's shadow government in the British House of Commons, and Lisa Nandy, shadow minister of international development, on Wednesday to consult on the situation in Gaza and the unprecedented military escalation in the region. The meeting focused on addressing the humanitarian and security dimensions of the military escalation in Gaza, where Shoukry stressed the need to intensify coordinated international efforts to stop the ongoing war in Gaza, enforce an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that saves the lives of civilians, and ensure safe and sustainable entry of humanitarian aid. He said that this is in line with states' obligations under international law and humanitarian law, and taking into account basic human values. During the meeting, Minister Shoukry stressed the serious humanitarian and security consequences of the expansion of the Israeli forces' ground operations in Gaza, as well as the practices of collective punishment against the people of the Gaza Strip from continuous shelling, siege, forced displacement and indiscriminate targeting of civilians. He noted that these practices resulted in more than eight and a half thousand victims since the beginning of the crisis. Shoukry stressed the need for the international parties to describe this humanitarian disaster by its names, away from any erroneous justifications that fall under the right of self-defence or combating terrorism, as well as the concerted international efforts to provide the necessary protection for civilians and prevent the spread of the cycle of violence and the expansion of the conflict to the region.
