CAIRO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave, and the release of hostages and captives.
In a phone call on the latest developments in Gaza, the two leaders also rejected the displacement of Palestinians from their land and condemned the Israeli attack on Doha, Qatar, as "a flagrant violation of international law and the principle of respect for state sovereignty," the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi said any move to displace Palestinians constitutes "a direct threat to regional peace and could lead to unprecedented waves of displacement and illegal migration to Europe."
He welcomed Britain's announcement at the end of July that it intends to recognize the State of Palestine in September ahead of the UN General Assembly unless Israel commits to peace, calling it "an important development to back the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."
For his part, Starmer praised Egypt's continued mediation efforts on a Gaza ceasefire, the statement added.
Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli strikes and gunfire have killed more than 64,000 people in the enclave, according to local health authorities, while much of the territory has been reduced to rubble and famine has set in.
On Tuesday, Israel launched an unprecedented airstrike on Doha, targeting a building used by senior Hamas officials in what Israeli authorities described as an attempt to kill leaders of the Palestinian group. ■
