The war on Gaza is no longer a war to achieve political goals or release hostages, but rather “a war of starvation, genocide, and the liquidation of the Palestinian cause”, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said during a press conference with his Vietnamese counterpart Luong Quong at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
President Al-Sisi stressed that a systematic genocide is being perpetrated against the Gaza Strip, adding “I previously appealed to the world, European countries, and US President Donald Trump to intervene to stop the war and allow aid into the Strip. Again, I reiterate my appeal to all of them to stop the war.” He added that “history will hold many countries accountable and we hope that the global human conscience will not remain silent for long.”
Al-Sisi described the allegations directed by some that Egypt is participating in the “siege” on and “starvation” of the Palestinians in Gaza as “bankruptcy”.
Egypt has never abandoned its role in bringing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza, and since the war erupted in October 2023 Egypt alone has provided more than 70 per cent of all relief and humanitarian aid to Gazans, he said.
Al-Sisi also stressed that Egypt is always prepared to deliver aid to the people of Gaza, “but we are not prepared to receive Palestinians or help displace them from their land.”
The president pointed out that there are more than 5,000 aid trucks on Egyptian territory ready to enter the Gaza Strip provided by Egypt and other countries, but the fact is that the Israelis control the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing.
Trucks flowed into Gaza through the Egyptian-controlled side of the Rafah Crossing this week, carrying essential food, medical supplies, and other relief materials for civilians affected by the ongoing war between the Islamist movement Hamas and Israel.
On Sunday and Monday, a sixth convoy from the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), including dozens of trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel fuel intended for the operation of vital facilities in the Strip such as hospitals and water-treatment plants, entered Gaza.
According to Al-Qahera News channel, since the outbreak of the armed conflict between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, the ERC has maintained a permanent presence on the border, serving as the country’s main organisation designated to coordinate and direct humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The ERC’s humanitarian aid to help the besieged Palestinians in Gaza, dubbed “Zad Al-Izzah” (Provision of Honour) kicked off on 27 July and has not stopped since then, with trucks heading towards southern Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Egypt.
Al-Qahera News sources state that from 27 July until 4 August, the ERC’s convoys have transported more than 5,000 tons of vital humanitarian aid, including food supplies, flour, fresh bread, infant formula, medical equipment, essential medicines, and personal hygiene materials.
In parallel effort, the ERC said its volunteers are producing fresh bread daily at its automated bakery located within the food supply centre known as the “Humanitarian Kitchen” in Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai.
“This operation is part of the ‘Warm Meal from Egypt for Gaza’ initiative, which aims to provide immediate nutrition amid severe food insecurity across the Strip,” said an ERC statement.
The National Alliance for Civil Development Work also sent its 11th convoy to Gaza this week, including more than 200 aid trucks carrying around 2,000 tons of essential food supplies for Gazans.
North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer stressed that the Rafah Crossing will remain open on the Egyptian side throughout the conflict and that the ERC will continue to operate its logistical hubs around the clock to facilitate the entry of approximately 35,000 aid trucks carrying nearly 500,000 tons of food, medical, and relief supplies packaged through the efforts of more than 35,000 dedicated volunteers.
Army Spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said on Sunday that nine military planes have carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip. “These come upon the directives of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and aim to send tons of food aid to areas in the Gaza Strip that are difficult to reach by land and that suffer from dire living conditions,” Abdel-Hafez said.
Megawer said the Egyptian military’s airdrop operations “complement Egypt’s ongoing land-based aid deliveries, which continue despite significant logistical and security challenges.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has commended Egypt for coordinating relief operations with international and UN agencies active in Gaza, as well as preparing for the upcoming international conference on Gaza’s reconstruction.
It expressed its full solidarity with Egypt in standing up to malicious media campaigns launched by Hamas and the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.
Rawhi Fattouh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council, criticised a speech delivered by Hamas leader in exile Khalil Al-Hayya on 27 July as an attempt to export the group’s internal crisis to neighbouring countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan.
Fattouh said Egypt and Jordan have been steadfast in their support for the Palestinians in Gaza and against the Israeli displacement plans.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty criticised the campaign waged against Egypt, which reflects misleading objectives aimed at diverting attention away from and easing pressure on Israel, which is responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. It is promoting lies and gross fallacies accusing Egypt of negligence in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said.
Abdelatty said Egyptian Intelligence is making efforts around the clock regarding the situation in Gaza and is communicating with various security agencies to quickly reach an agreement that could end the war and release the hostages.
The foreign minister also opened fire on the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, accusing it of orchestrating a number of “malicious” protests against Egyptian embassies and diplomatic missions around the world under the pretext of demanding that Cairo open the Rafah Crossing with the Gaza Strip.
Abdelatty told Al-Arabiya news channel that those who demonstrated in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv “are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and serve Israel by these actions. Instead of demonstrating against those who block aid, commit crimes against Palestinians, and practise starvation, they are demonstrating against Egypt, which supports the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.”
MP Al-Sayed Shamseddin, a member of parliament’s National Security Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that President Al-Sisi’s comments reflect public anger over the protests in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
“It is no secret that over the past few days Cairo has found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, caught in the crosshairs of a media and political campaign suggesting that it is responsible for Gaza’s suffering by allegedly closing Rafah and blocking aid. But Egypt led by President Al-Sisi maintains that it is Israel, not Cairo, that is preventing the flow of assistance and reiterates its refusal to be dragged into marginal conflicts that do not serve its national interests,” Shamseddin said.
Prominent political analyst Abdel-Moneim Said believes that Chief of the Hamas Political Bureau Khalil Al-Hayya’s speech on 27 July echoes the Muslim Brotherhood’s antagonistic rhetoric towards the Egyptian state.
“Al-Hayya’s remarks were in line with a broader Muslim Brotherhood strategy targeting Egypt,” Said said, adding that “the international Brotherhood organisation thought that the current conflict could give it a historic opportunity to demonise the Egyptian government and provoke unrest in Egypt.”
However, President Al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Abdelatty are choosing diplomacy and preferring to respond to Al-Hayya and the Brotherhood’s incendiary language using balanced language, he said, adding that in his speech on 28 July President Al-Sisi reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue remains a core concern for Egyptian national security and that despite the malicious campaigns Egypt will continue delivering aid to the Palestinians while exerting greater efforts to end the war.
“This is the difference between the ideology of a state and that of a faction,” Said said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 7 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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