Sisi-Macron visit to Arish 'momentous political and economic event': N. Sinai governor

Egypt Today

09-04-2025

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, visit Al-Arish hospital - Egyptian Presidency
ARISH – 9 April 2025: Governor of North Sinai Khaled Megawer commended Tuesday's visit by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his French counterpart to El Arish city for being an unprecedented historic event that carried major political and economic implications, saying the visit sparked overwhelming joy among the people of the governorate.
In statements to Nagham FM radio station the governor said, the French president was keen on visiting El Arish Hospital, having a heart-to-heart conversation with the injured Palestinians and getting posted in detail on their unbearable suffering down to the last detail from the 7th of October until their admission to the hospital.
Megawer further noted that the French president asked precise questions to the injured, including the number of their family members and those killed or missing.
Macron attentively listened to poignant details on their suffering; thus, clearly attesting to his full awareness of the grand scale of the crisis and his keenness on documenting the unpalatable facts on the ground, said the governor.
President Macron also shook hands with the medical and nursing staff in the hospital, as he listened and sympathized with the Palestinian cases, he added.
He further noted that the French president was touched by the striking testimonies illustrating misery of Palestinian patients, who expressed their gratitude for the health and humanitarian care provided by the Egyptian State that relieved their excruciating pain, said the governor.
Macron also visited the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC)'s warehouses, he said, noting that the French presidential delegation was also briefed on the mechanism for managing relief assistance and the logistics challenges facing Egypt, particularly during the periods of the Rafah border terminal's closure.
He listened to a detailed explanation from ERC Chairperson Amal Imam about great efforts made in this vital humanitarian file, he added.
The French president also participated in a well-attended conference that brought together international organizations, including the United Nations and UNICEF, to hold in-depth discussion on the current conditions, said the governor.
Meantime, the governor of North Sinai expressed North Sinai's residents' great happiness over president Sisi's presence in Sinai.
Megawer stressed that Macron's visit represented a historic precedent, as no European president had ever visited North Sinai in modern history.