Cairo: Social Solidarity Minister Maya Morsy lauded the shared commitment between Egypt and Qatar to meeting relief aid and humanitarian needs for the Gaza Strip. Morsy made the remarks during her participation on Monday in a ceremony held to highlight the close strategic Egyptian-Qatari cooperation to meet urgent humanitarian needs in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the event was attended by Qatari Minister of International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Maryam Ahmed Al Shaibi, Deputy Ambassador of Qatar to Egypt, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, and Ambassador Nabila Makram, Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Egyptian National Alliance for Civil Development Action. Morsy noted that Egypt assumed responsibility for facilitating the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid, and hosting the upcoming Gaza reconstruction conference in November.
She stated that Egypt would continue to act as the honest mediator amid division, striving to stop the bloodshed and achieve a lasting peace that safeguards lives and restores hope. The social solidarity minister said Egypt supports Palestine not with words, but through action, work, and sacrifice. In this regard, she reviewed Egypt's relief efforts over the past two years, during which the country bore the largest share of humanitarian support to Gaza, with the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) serving as the national mechanism for delivering aid to the Palestinian enclave.
She further noted that Egypt and Qatar attach the utmost importance to addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and maintaining close coordination to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The joint Egyptian-Qatari mediation efforts, she said, have played a crucial role in securing both temporary and lasting humanitarian ceasefires. The minister extended Egypt's sincere thanks to Qatar for its valued cooperation in this vital endeavor, describing it as a model of genuine Arab solidarity and a distinguished humanitarian partnership aimed at alleviating suffering under the most difficult circumstances.
The Egyptian Red Crescent is among the largest volunteer-based humanitarian networks in the region, with over 35,000 trained volunteers working around the clock in operation rooms, logistics centers, and field warehouses, the solidarity minister said. The ERC successfully coordinated aid from 52 countries, receiving 605 maritime shipments, with the Qatari vessel being the 606th, alongside 936 air shipments through various airports, according to her.
Inside Gaza, the ERC established several camps, delivering over 2 million loaves of bread and 2 million meals through the Humanitarian Kitchen in North Sinai's Arish city, she said. Between July 27 and mid-October, the ERC dispatched 53 'Zad Al-Ezzah' convoys, providing more than 2.8 million food parcels, 400,000 flour bags, 700,000 hygiene kits, and nearly 7,000 tents, with total aid exceeding 600,000 tons since October 2023, including food, medical, and relief supplies, the minister also said. These emergency assistance efforts coincided with Egypt's reception of wounded Palestinians and their families for medical treatment, with the ERC facilitating the crossing of approximately 7,000 injured individuals, along with their companions and relatives, she added.