In a press conference, Sisi said Israel’s war has long since ‘surpassed any logic or justification, and has become a war of starvation and genocide’.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said on Tuesday (July 05) that Israel was pursuing “a war of starvation and genocide” in Gaza and denied accusations that Cairo prevented life-saving aid from entering the Palestinian territory.
“The war in Gaza is no longer merely a war to achieve political goals or release hostages,” Sisi told a press conference in Cairo along with his Vietnamese counterpart.
Israel has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians since its military onslaught began in October 2023, in actions deemed genocidal by several world leaders, NGOs, and experts. Palestinians are dying every day due to starvation and malnutrition.
To Sisi, “this war has long since surpassed any logic or justification, and has become a war of starvation and genocide”.
“There is systematic genocide to eradicate the Palestinian cause,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on July 05 that Israel must “complete” the defeat of Hamas to free captives held in Gaza, a day after Israeli media reported the army could occupy the entire territory.
Israel has heavily restricted aid into Gaza, which is slipping into a catastrophic famine 22 months into the war.
Following mounting international pressure on Israel, in late May, aid has only began trickling into Gaza, which borders Israel and Egypt. However, it has mostly entered through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation organization, labelled as death traps, as over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed at their aid collection sites.
In response to what Sisi said were “bankrupt” accusations of Egypt’s complicity in the siege, the president reiterated that the Rafah border crossing with Gaza was “never closed”.
The crossing at Rafah was a vital entry point of aid in the early months of the war, until Israeli troops took over its Palestinian side in May 2024, forcing it shut.
“The crossing was able to bring in aid as long as there were no Israeli troops stationed on the Palestinian side of the crossing,” Sisi said, adding that there are 5,000 trucks loaded with aid waiting to enter Gaza.
He also defended what he said was Egypt’s consistently “positive” role in seeking an end to the conflict.
Since the war began, Cairo has undertaken a delicate balancing act, retaining its position as a mediator between Israel and Hamas – along with the United States and Qatar – while repeatedly criticizing Israel’s assault.
Cairo has also repeatedly refused US plans to displace Palestinians into Egypt, lobbying for a reconstruction plan for the territory that has fallen by the wayside as truce talks repeatedly folded.
“Egypt will always remain a gateway for aid, not a gateway for the displacement of the Palestinian people,” Sisi said on July 05.
“We are prepared to allow aid in at any time, but we are not prepared to receive or displace Palestinians from their land.”
Last week, Sisi urged US President Donald Trump – who had touted the plan to displace Palestinians into Egypt – to intervene, saying he “is the one capable of ending the war, bringing in aid and ending this suffering”.
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