Arish: French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized during his visit to the Egyptian city of Arish that the Gaza Strip, home to two million besieged people, should not be viewed merely as a real estate project. Macron remarked, “When we talk about Gaza, we are talking about two million besieged people… after months of bombing and war.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Macron insisted that the historical and geographical context of Gaza cannot be ignored. He stated, “If it had been simply a real estate project or a land grab, the war would not have broken out in the first place.” Macron underscored that resuming the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza is a “top priority,” describing the current situation as unacceptable and unprecedented. “We demand, first and foremost, that aid be resumed as soon as possible,” he urged.

Prior to his statements in Arish, Macron met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The meeting was later expanded to include Jordan’s King Abdullah II for a trilateral summit. The leaders collectively supported an Arab plan to rebuild Gaza and opposed any deportation of its residents to other countries.

Furthermore, the leaders engaged in a phone call with US President Donald Trump to discuss strategies to reestablish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as to renew negotiations for the release of prisoners in Gaza.