Egypt urges Non-Aligned Movement summit to condemn Israel's practices in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday urged the 19th Non-Aligned Movement summit in the Ugandan capital of Kampala to condemn Israel's practices in the Gaza Strip.

He made the statement on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and stressed that "the Middle East region is witnessing a widespread crisis as a result of Israel’s continued brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip."

Shoukry urged the Movement "to adhere to its historical positions in condemning the Israeli illegal practices and to reject the Israeli attempts to expel the Palestinian people and to obliterate their cause."

The 19th Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala kicked off Friday and is scheduled to run until Jan. 24.

The Non-Aligned Movement was formed in 1961 under the leadership of the former Yugoslavia when the world began to polarize between East and West. It currently has 120 member states.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv said killed 1,200 people.

At least 24,762 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 62,108 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar