‘Won’t leave our land:’ Palestinian president responds to displacement threat

New Administrative Capital, Egypt, Oct 21 (EFE).- President Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Saturday that Palestinians would never abandon their homeland and would resist Israel’s efforts to forcibly relocate the population of Gaza to Egypt during the ongoing conflict in the besieged enclave.

“We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave, and we will remain in our land,” Abbas emphasized in his speech at the peace summit in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo.

Global leaders gathered in Egypt to seek an end to the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which has claimed over 5,500 lives on both sides.

Israel has launched a major offensive to target Hamas leadership and its military infrastructure while urging Gazans in the north to evacuate in anticipation of a planned ground assault.

“We will not accept displacement, and we will remain steadfast on our land no matter the challenges,” Abbas thundered.

He pointed out that the Palestinian National Authority was the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

Abbas stressed that security and peace could only be achieved through the implementation of a two-state solution, based on international legitimacy, which would entail ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Abbas condemned the loss of civilian lives on both sides and called for the release of all civilians, prisoners, and detainees.

He decried Israel’s “barbaric aggression” against the Gaza Strip and demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities, as well as the opening of humanitarian corridors to facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and essential supplies to the besieged enclave running out of essentials.

On Friday, after 15 days of a complete blockade and relentless bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, Israel allowed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Twenty trucks carrying food and medicine entered the strip through the Rafah crossing, which links Egypt to the enclave.

At the Cairo Peace Summit, speakers reiterated their commitment to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to end the ongoing escalation.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the host of the conference, reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and proposed a roadmap to address the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza and rekindle the path to peace.

“The only solution for the Palestinian cause is the achievement of justice through a fair and equitable resolution that upholds the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people,” El-Sisi said.

Officials from United Nations, European Union, Jordan, France, Germany, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Qatar, and South Africa attended the one-day meeting.

Addressing the summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and a global “action to end this godawful nightmare”.

Guterres said the tiny Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people was living through “a humanitarian catastrophe” with thousands dead and more than a million people displaced.

The summit takes place as war between Israel and Hamas escalated amid fears of a ground assault on Gaza by the Israeli military.

Israel has ravaged Gaza with missiles over the last two weeks with aerial attacks following the Oct.7 multi-pronged attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people in Israel.

More than 4,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counteroffensive, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. EFE