CAIRO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed Wednesday Egypt's firm support for the Palestinian people and a strong opposition to any attempts to relocate them to the adjacent Sinai Peninsula.
In a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Cairo, Sisi said "we reject the displacement of Palestinians from their land" and expressed concerns that the current escalations in the Gaza Strip are "bids to force Palestinians to seek to enter Egypt's Sinai."
"Displacement to Sinai means transferring the attacks against Israel to Egyptian territories, which threatens the long-term peace between Egypt and Israel," the Egyptian leader added.
For his part, Scholz said joint efforts are underway for trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, adding the Gazans are in dire need of water, food, and medicine.
Jordan canceled a quadrilateral summit that was scheduled for Wednesday to include the leaders of Palestine, Egypt, Jordan and U.S. President Joe Biden, following a blast on a Gaza hospital, which killed at least 500 Palestinians.
Sisi declared three days of mourning over the victims who lost their lives in the hospital bombing.
On Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack, demanding Israel stop targeting the vicinity of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to enable Egypt, other countries, and international and relief organizations to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible.
At least 500 people were killed when a rocket hit the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening, according to Palestinian sources.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry said Israel carried out the airstrikes, while the Israeli military said the Islamic Jihad organization is responsible for the "failed shooting" that targeted Israel.
