Egypt calls for int’l ban on use of food, medicine as weapons

Egypt’s ambassador to Rome, Bassam Radi, called on the international community to ban the use of food and medicine as weapons against civilians.

In a speech to the UN’s International Food Security Committee, Radi said on Tuesday that the world is “standing by as two and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are subjected to collective punishment, siege, and starvation.”

He pointed to the remarks of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said last week that “behind this crossing [Rafah] there are two million people suffering immensely without water, food, medicine, or fuel. On this side, we have many trucks loaded with water, food, and medicine. They are the difference between life and death for the people of Gaza.”

Rady said that the international community must “condemn the use of food and medicine as a weapon of pressure against civilians,” and that it should “take all necessary steps to ensure that they are not used in this way.”