UN Secretary General to visit Egypt on Thursday

WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will arrive Thursday in Cairo to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and others to discuss current the situation in the region, his spokesman said Tuesday.

"The secretary general will also speak at the international conference that is being hosted by President al-Sisi on Saturday," Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya briefed member states on the humanitarian situation in Gaza early Tuesday.

"She said that the situation can only be described as an utter catastrophe. As every hour passes, she said the restoration of essential supplies and services and the need to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza becomes ever more critical," he said.

Dujarric highlighted the need for safe passage to move humanitarian aid through Gaza.

"We can't move humanitarian trucks and convoys while active bombardment is ongoing. There are intense discussions going on in which we're involved with a number of parties in order to try to get the most basic humanitarian aid in as quickly as possible. And that's food, water, medicine," he said.