Israel’s war on Gaza aims at starvation, eliminating Palestinian cause: Egyptian president

By Hussien Elkabany and Rania Abu Shamala

CAIRO, Egypt/ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli war on Gaza aims at starving Palestinians and eliminating their cause, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi said Tuesday.

“The war on Gaza is no longer a war to achieve political objectives or secure the release of hostages. It has become a war of starvation, genocide, and the elimination of the Palestinian cause,” Sisi told a press conference in Cairo with his Vietnamese counterpart, Luong Quang.

He stressed that the Palestinians in Gaza are facing a “systematic genocide.”

Egypt “will not be a gateway for the displacement of the Palestinian people,” Sisi said.

The Egyptian leader highlighted that more than 5,000 aid trucks are on Egyptian territory ready to enter Gaza.

“History will hold many countries accountable for their stance on the war in Gaza, and the global human conscience will not remain silent for long.”

Sisi’s comments come amid a tight Israeli blockade that has left Gaza’s 2.4 million population on the verge of famine.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 188 people, including 94 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said Monday that Israel had allowed in just 674 aid trucks since July 27 – only 14% of the strip’s minimum daily requirement of 600 trucks.

The Health Ministry said that at least 1,568 aid seekers have been killed and 11,230 others injured by Israeli fire near US-run aid distribution centers in Gaza since May 27.

The Israeli-crafted aid scheme has been widely criticized as being ineffective as well as being a “death trap” for starving civilians.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children. Israel’s military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.