STORY: AL chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
SHOOTING TIME: File
DATELINE: June 6, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:51
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the headquarters of the Arab League (file)

STORYLINE:

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (AL) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a broad operation to assist the people of the enclave who are living "on the brink of famine."

Aboul-Gheit made the remarks during his meeting with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the pan-Arab organization said in a statement.

The AL chief praised the efforts of Cyprus in sending aid shipments via a new maritime corridor to the Gaza Strip since the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side of the currently closed Rafah border crossing, which used to be a major lifeline for sending aid trucks from Egypt to the conflict-stricken enclave.

However, he said, shipping humanitarian aid via the sea to Gaza is not an alternative to the land crossings.

Aboul-Gheit underlined "ending the Israeli occupation as the only way to achieve security and peace for all in the region" and emphasized the need for Israel to allow a sustainable inflow of aid to Gaza "to mitigate the escalation of the humanitarian crisis."

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks has reached 36,586, with 83,074 wounded since the conflict began in October 2023, an official Palestinian report said Wednesday.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)