CAIRO, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday reiterated his country's firm rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from their land to Sinai.
In a televised speech marking the 42nd anniversary of the liberation of Sinai, Sisi said the Egyptian stance is critical in "protecting the Palestinian cause from liquidation and defending Egypt's national security."
"Egypt has exerted unyielding efforts to reach an immediate and urgent ceasefire, and ensure access for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip," he added, reiterating Egypt's persistent endeavors to push for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state and for the Palestinians to regain their legitimate rights.
The Sinai Liberation Day marks the 1982 withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Sinai Peninsula after the Camp David Accords were signed in 1978.
More than 1 million residents in the Gaza Strip have lost their homes and 75 percent of the population in the Palestinian coastal enclave have been displaced since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict last October, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to launch an attack on the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah, as it is the last "stronghold" of Hamas.
Amid circulating media reports claiming that Egypt had discussed with Israel regarding the latter's planned invasion of Rafah, Diaa Rashwan, head of the State Information Service, reaffirmed Egypt's categorical rejection of the invasion, saying such operation would lead to massive human casualties and extensive destruction. ■
