Egypt's Sisi again opposes displacement of Palestinians

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday reiterated his opposition to any plans to displace Gazans either inside or outside the Palestinian territories.

Sisi, in a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission who is currently visiting Cairo, discussed developments in Gaza, where Israeli air and ground attacks since the Oct. 7 Hamas offensive have killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children.

During the meeting, the Egyptian presidency said, Sisi affirmed "Egypt's position on the necessity of an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, protecting civilians, and ensuring the delivery of relief aid to the people of Gaza, who are subjected to enormous humanitarian suffering."

He stressed "Egypt's categorical rejection of the displacement of Palestinians, whether by internal displacement or displacement outside their lands, especially to Egyptian lands in Sinai."

"The president of the European Commission agreed with the Egyptian president, confirming the European position of rejecting displacement."

The two sides stressed that "the only solution to the Palestinian issue lies in achieving a comprehensive and just peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with approved international references."

The Israeli army continues to call the residents of the Gaza Strip to move to the south near the Egyptian border.

The UN estimates that at least 1.5 million people in Gaza are internally displaced, many of them sheltering in UN facilities.