Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. He said the war in Gaza aims not only to defeat Hamas but to “starve the population, commit genocide, and eliminate the Palestinian cause.”
The comments came as Israel’s security cabinet debated whether to permit a full military occupation of Gaza. Sisi said history would “hold many countries accountable” for their stance on the war, as he strongly rejected claims that his country is complicit in the blockade of the enclave.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, Sisi criticized the “bankrupt” accusations that Egypt was contributing to the suffering of Gaza’s population.
He said history “will take serious note and will hold many countries accountable and put them on trial for their position on the war in Gaza,” adding that the global human conscience “will not remain silent for long.”
Addressing claims that Egypt has played a role in the blockade of Gaza and in exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, Sisi dismissed them as unfounded and absurd. “The claims made by some that Egypt is participating in the blockade of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and contributing to their starvation is bankruptcy – these are strange words,” he said.
Egypt is at the forefront of efforts to halt the war and deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza, he said. More than 5,000 aid trucks are currently stationed on Egyptian territory and are ready to enter the Strip, either from Egypt or through coordination with other nations, according to Sisi.
Sisi: Egypt making 'significant efforts' to stop war, provide humanitarian aid to Gaza
“Egypt has not abandoned its role in facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said. “We are making significant efforts to stop the war and ensure the flow of assistance to those in need.”
The Egyptian president also clarified the logistics of Gaza’s connectivity to the outside world, pointing out that the enclave has five border crossings, only one of which, Rafah, is shared with Egypt. “The rest,” he noted, “are controlled by the Israeli side.”
In a broader appeal to the international community, Sisi said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was being cynically exploited as a political bargaining chip, and he criticized what he called the failure of the global community to act decisively.
He urged global powers to recognize the severity of the crisis and to work toward a resolution that ends both the violence and the suffering.