CAIRO, October 21. /TASS/. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has opened a peace summit in Cairo, calling on the international community to protect the rights of the Palestinian people.

"We are surprised to see that the international community is keeping silent in response to the practice of collective punishment in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian people and civilians should receive international protection," he pointed out.

El-Sisi stressed that Egypt "seeks to ensure a safe, unhindered and stable flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip" and "is working on a roadmap to revive the peace process." According to him, Egypt did not close the Rafah Crossing Point "but Israeli strikes hampered its stable operation."

El-Sisi also said that Cairo strongly rejected the idea of relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula because it would not help resolve the Palestinian issue.

The Cairo Peace Summit, dedicated to ways to resolve the Palestinian issue and find a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis, is taking place in the Egyptian capital on October 21. The event has brought together representatives of 34 countries and three international organizations, namely the UN, the Arab League and the African Union. Russia is represented by Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister.