Rabat - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered authorities to open the border with Gaza at Rafah throughout the holy month of Ramadan.
Rabat – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered authorities to open the border with Gaza at Rafah throughout the holy month of Ramadan.
El Sisi wrote on his Twitter on Thursday: “I issued instructions to the concerned bodies to take the necessary measures to continue the opening of the Rafah border during the holy month of Ramadan, in order to alleviate the suffering of brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
The decision came after Palestinian mass protests Monday, in which at least 59 Palestinians were killed by Israeli law enforcement after the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem.
The Gaza Strip, where 2 million Palestinians live, has been subjected to a severe Israeli blockade for more than 10 years.
Egypt’s Rafah border terminal, Gaza’s only non-Israeli-controlled border, has been closed since 2013, with Cairo citing threats to the country’s security.
Members of the United Nations Human Rights Council strongly condemned Israel’s attacks against Palestinian protesters on Friday.
Chairman of council Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said “Nobody has been made safer by the horrific events of the past week.”
Denouncing Israel’s violence, al-Hussein added that since March 30, Israeli law enforcement have killed 106 Palestinians, including 15 children, while several hundreds were injured.
In 2017, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to end the blockade of Gaza while visiting the area.
Guterres said he was “deeply moved” to see the suffering of the inhabitants of the region.
“[It is unfortunate] to witness one of the most dramatic humanitarian crises that I’ve seen in many years working as a humanitarian in the United Nations,” he said.
Several Arab leaders, including King Mohammed VI, condemned Israel’s violence against Palestinians.
King Mohammed VI addressed a letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to express deep concerns over the US embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The King, who is also the chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, said that he has reiterated to US President Donald Trump and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the “extreme importance of the city of Al-Quds,” not only for the parties to the conflict, but for all three Abrahamic religions.
