Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin spoke over the phone with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry about the recent escalation of the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas during a stopover in Istanbul en route to Turkmenistan on October 30.

The two Foreign Ministers expressed great concern over the current situation where the total death toll has reached nearly ten thousand people, and concurred with the need for the relevant parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and protect civilians. Particularly, they shared the view that the armed conflict should not spread further and a humanitarian pause is necessary to prevent the crisis from worsening.

Foreign Minister Park appreciated Egypt’s active mediation efforts to resolve the situation, including hosting the Cairo Peace Summit (Oct. 21), as well as its cooperation in facilitating the entry of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip via Egypt’s Rafah crossing.

In addition, Foreign Minister Park requested Egypt's special attention and cooperation to ensure the safety of Korean nationals staying in Israel and Palestine.

Regarding the Israel-Hamas armed conflict, Foreign Minister Park has had phone calls and meetings with foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt. They served as an opportunity to stress the Korean government’s commitment to contributing to the international community's efforts to resolve the situation and lay the groundwork for ensuring the safety of overseas nationals in case of an emergency.