Cairo: The Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met today in Cairo with Kaya Kallas, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to discuss developments in the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the parties expressed their grave concern over the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties as a result of recent airstrikes.

The parties condemned the resumption of hostilities and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and called for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and detainees. This agreement entered into force on January 19 and was sponsored by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

The parties stressed the need to move toward the second phase of the agreement with the goal of its full implementation, including the release of all hostages, a permanent end to hostilities, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2735.

The parties called for full respect for international humanitarian law and international humanitarian law. They emphasized that this includes ensuring rapid, sustainable, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the widespread delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the Strip. In this context, they called for the lifting of all restrictions impeding the access of humanitarian aid, as well as the immediate restoration of all basic services in the Strip, including electricity supplies, including those for desalination plants.

The parties welcomed the Arab Recovery and Reconstruction Plan presented at the Cairo Summit on March 4, which was subsequently adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and welcomed by the European Council, and emphasized that the plan guarantees the continued presence of the Palestinian people on their land. They emphasized their categorical rejection of any transfer or expulsion of the Palestinian people from their land, whether from Gaza or the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and warned of the dire consequences that would result from such actions.

In this regard, they also emphasized the importance of supporting the Gaza Early Recovery and Reconstruction Conference, scheduled to be held in Cairo with the participation of the relevant parties, and called on the international community to work to mobilize the resources to be announced during the conference to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza.

The parties emphasized the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the umbrella of the Palestinian National Authority, supporting the Authority in assuming all its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, and ensuring its ability to effectively perform its role in administering both Gaza and the West Bank.

They also emphasized the need to respect and preserve the unity and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territories, as this is an essential element in the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the June 4, 1967, lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and within the framework of the two-state solution, thus achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

They reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territories occupied in 1967, and reaffirmed the vision of a two-state solution, with the Gaza Strip as part of the Palestinian State, in accordance with international law, including relevant Security Council resolutions. They also stressed the need to be guided by this principle in any discussion on the future of the Gaza Strip.

The parties expressed grave concern about Israeli military incursions into the occupied West Bank, as well as illegal practices such as settlement activities, home demolitions, and settler violence, which undermine the rights of the Palestinian people, threaten the prospects for a just and lasting peace, and deepen the conflict.

They noted that Israel, as the occupying power, must protect civilians and abide by international humanitarian law. They also categorically rejected any attempts at annexation of territory or any unilateral measures aimed at changing the legal and historical status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.