Egypt Bears the Financial Burden of Hosting Nine Million Refugees, Spending Over $10 Billion Annually: Madbouly Reveals at WEF

Egypt hosts refugees from 133 countries, with the Sudanese comprising the largest group (four million), followed by Syrians (1.5 million), Yemenis (one million), and Libyans (one million).

The Rafah crossing with Gaza is open 24 hours a day to deliver aid to the Palestinians and receive critical cases from the strip, he added.

During a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Riyadh on Monday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revealed that Egypt is spending more than $10 billion each year to support nine million refugees escaping security instability in their home countries.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), these four nationalities make up 80 percent of the refugee population in Egypt.

According to Madbouly, Cairo is standing firm against the displacement of Gazans in order to safeguard the integrity of the Palestinian cause, while also reiterating the country’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people.

Gaza needs decades to return

Egypt prime minister said Gazans are enduring collective punishment by Israel, noting that the strip needs decades to be rebuilt and regain its pre-7 October state.

The lives of 2.5 million Palestinians in the strip have deteriorated, Madbouly said, adding that more than 80 percent of Gaza’s health and education facilities are out of service.

Assault on the Palestinian border city of Rafah will constitute a grave humanitarian catastrophe for civilians, he noted, urging all parties involved to exert maximum efforts to prevent such a dire escalation.

Mediators have stepped up efforts over the past few hours to seal a ceasefire deal to avoid a potential Israeli raid on Rafah.

Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and injured over 77,000, mostly children and women, since 7 October.