JEDDAH — The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League, and the African Union (AU) — the tripartite mechanism to support the Palestinian cause — held a consultative meeting with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Cairo to discuss the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The tripartite mechanism issued an emergency humanitarian appeal calling for an immediate end to genocide, starvation, blockade, displacement, and destruction, and urged efforts to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza. They expressed deep concern over the unprecedented and worsening humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip due to the continued acts of genocide, forced displacement, and systematic destruction committed by the Israeli occupation since October 2023. These actions represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the binding orders issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). They also firmly condemned the Israeli occupation's use of starvation and siege as weapons of war against Palestinian civilians. They called for the immediate and permanent opening of all land and sea crossings and the unimpeded, adequate, and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, fuel, medical supplies, and shelter. They emphasized that delivering relief to the Palestinian people in Gaza is a legal and moral right, and underscored the urgent need to enable UNRWA to fulfill its critical role amid exceptional conditions and its ongoing financial crisis. The tripartite mechanism urged the international community to apply effective and sustained pressure on Israel, the occupying force, to allow UNRWA and its partners to operate freely, safely, and without obstruction. They further rejected any attempts to undermine or replace UNRWA's mandate, and called for full political, financial, and legal support for the agency in accordance with its UN-established responsibilities.
