Guterres heads to Egypt as Middle East conflicts intensify

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Egypt on Friday for talks on escalating Middle East conflicts, he announced in New York on Thursday, warning that obstacles to implementing the Gaza peace plan and renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia threaten regional stability. He described Egypt as an essential diplomatic partner, citing its role defending Palestinian rights and mediating between the US and Iran (see.news).

On Gaza, he said implementing the UN Security Council-backed peace plan remained difficult, accused Israel of restricting essential humanitarian supplies ahead of winter, and urged greater access plus a credible political process ending the occupation with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The World Food Programme needs $450 million to sustain its Gaza and West Bank operations through March 2027; funding shortages have cut food aid by roughly a third, leaving 500,000 people without critical support, with 1.4 million facing severe food insecurity. He also condemned continuing Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

On Yemen, he called Houthi attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia “totally unacceptable”: Saudi authorities reported two people killed and eight injured in Wednesday’s strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, which the Houthis claimed. He urged restraint and renewed negotiations.

The visit follows Egypt’s announcement that any military assistance to Saudi Arabia would be purely defensive, with parliament postponing the mission vote until 26 October. Guterres said the trip would also cover Sudan’s war, Libya’s instability and US–Iran tensions, warning expanding conflicts were disrupting energy markets, shipping and supply chains and driving up living costs — after earlier consultations with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in September.