Ramaphosa to attend Cairo peace summit amid Israel-Hamas conflict
President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend the Cairo Summit for Peace where solutions to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war will be discussed.
Egypt has been grappling with the question of opening the remaining exit in Rafah to thousands of displaced Palestinians as Israel continues its deadly assault on Gaza, following a surprise attack by Hamas militants two weeks ago.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas following the attack that claimed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Israeli warplanes have leveled entire city blocks in Gaza in retaliation, killing more than 3,785 Palestinians, mostly civilians, in the bombing – according to the latest toll from the Hamas-run health ministry.
Last week, the Israeli government issued a warning to over 1.1 million Gazans– nearly half of Gaza’s 2.4 million citizens – to evacuate their homes in the northern parts of the territory for the south, ahead of an expected ground offensive.
The United Nations said it was "impossible" for them to leave the territory, which has been under an air, land and sea blockade by Israel since 2006.
Egypt prides itself on the fact that it has never set up tented refugee camps, saying the nine million Syrians, Iraqis and Sudanese it hosts can work and study like Egyptian citizens.
But most of all, Cairo calling on Palestinians to leave their land would break a taboo even bigger than its recognition of Israel in 1979, when it became the first Arab country to do so.
If 1.1 million people from northern Gaza poured across the southern crossing, it would eclipse the numbers from 1948, when more than 750,000 people crossed the borders.
Ramaphosa is expected to attend the summit on Saturday, 21 October 2023, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The summit will also discuss the urgent need for humanitarian support and make a call for the resumption of the peace process.
“President Ramaphosa has been deeply concerned by attacks on civilians, the resulting enormous loss of life, displacement of people, and the humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the Gaza Strip,” read the statement from the Presidency.
South Africa has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire on both sides, the return of hostages, and the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors: “South Africa stands ready to join the global effort that will bring about lasting peace to the Middle East.”
Experts have warned that the tensions between Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Israel could spill over to other parts of the region.
READ MORE: Israel-Hamas war 'likely' to spread into Arab region
Speaking in his capacity as leader of the ANC ahead of its national executive committee gathering last weekend, Ramaphosa also warned that the conflict could “engulf the entire Middle East in conflict”.
Meanwhile, the UN on Friday said the first aid delivery into the besieged Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt should take place "in the next day or so".
Additional reporting by AFP
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