Sisi describes Gaza war as one of starvation, genocide, attempt to eliminate Palestinian cause
President calls for immediate ceasefire, unfettered entry of aid
Egypt committed to delivering aid, stopping war
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that Egypt has always been, and will remain, a gateway for the entry of aid into Gaza, noting that the Rafah crossing with the Strip has never been closed from the Egyptian side. He also reiterated Cairo’s firm stance, rejecting displacement of the Palestinian.
President Sisi quashed allegations that emerged over the past week, that Egypt was taking part in besieging Gaza.
President Sisi received on Tuesday President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Luong Cuong, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace.
The two presidents held a closed meeting, followed by an expanded session of talks with the delegations of both countries attending. The two sides discussedways to enhance bilateral ties, and build on the recent momentum in relations, mainly in the political, economic, trade, investment, educational, and tourism fields, Presidency Spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy said.
The two leaders agreed to elevate bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership, based on joint co-operation in all fields, including agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and investment, based on efforts by the government and the private sector, El-Shennawy.
This is likely to contribute to the achievement of the economic and social development goals of both countries.
They witnessed the singing of two MoUs in the fields of local and economic development, spokesman added.
The talks between the two presidents highlighted the importance of intensifying coordination to develop appropriate mechanisms toincrease co-operation and trade exchange between the two countries, and enhance investment.
This will also cover promoting co-operation in areas of priorities, particularly infrastructure, information technology, and digital transformation, and explore new horizons including aquaculture, textiles and ready-made garments, electrical appliances, fertilizers, food products, chemicals, medicines, renewable energy, and electric vehicles.
President Sisi’s talks with his Vietnamese counterpart addressed the current situation in the Middle East, including Egypt’s efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, end the war in Gaza, support the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights, and establish a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, The spokesman added.
President Sisi described the war in Gaza as no longer about hostages or political objectives but “a war of starvation, genocide, and an attempt to eliminate the Palestinian cause.”
Speaking during a press conference with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong at Cairo’s Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, President Sisi accused the international community of standing by as “the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza—and possibly also in the West Bank—are now being used as political bargaining card.”
He called for an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid.
“I appealed to the world before—European countries, and US President Trump—saying this war must stop, and aid must enter the Gaza Strip.”
President Sisi warned, as he previously did, against diverting attention by those who are actually responsible for the Palestinians’ tragic situation, and against the continuation of this situation.
He warned that the devastation in Gaza risks erasing the Palestinian cause entirely. He rejected accusations that Egypt is contributing to the blockade:
“Before the war, 600–700 trucks of food and basic necessities used to enter Gaza daily to support 2.3 million Palestinians. Imagine reducing that number to zero over the past 21 months. The current situation in Gaza stems from this—not from Egypt abandoning its role or participating in the siege.”
President Sisi referred to claims over the past weeks that prevents aid from entering Gaza as “bankruptcy”, and stressed once again that the Rafah Crossing has never been closed, and was destroyed four times during the current war.
He described claims of Egyptian complicity as “baseless” and “extremely strange,” stressing that more than 70 percent of the aid that has entered Gaza has come from Egypt.
President Sisi clarified that the Rafah border crossing has not been closed by Egypt at any point. Instead, the obstruction lies with Israel, which controls the Palestinian side:
“Gaza has five border crossings with the outside world—one is Rafah, the rest are with Israel. The Rafah crossing has not been closed during this war, nor before. It was destroyed four times since the start of the war and we repaired it each time.”
He made it clear that the war in Gaza is no longer a war to achieve political goals or release hostages. In fact, the war has long since gone beyond any logic or justification and has become one of starvation and genocide, as well as the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, Sisi explained.
“We’re seeing a systematic genocide aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause. Egypt remains committed to delivering aid—and to stopping the war.”
President Sisi reiterated Egypt’s long-standing refusal to allow the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai or elsewhere: “Egypt will remain a gateway for aid—not for displacement. That has been our position since 8 October, and it has not changed.”
“Our stance is clear—we are ready to deliver aid at any time, but we are not ready to accept or facilitate the displacement of Palestinians from their land. Some parties aim to distract from the real cause of the current tragic situation in Palestine. I warn—again—against the continuation of this situation,” he added.
“Egypt is playing a major role in trying to stop the war in Gaza and facilitate the entry of aid into the Strip,” he said. “For the past twenty years, Egypt has made efforts to prevent escalation in Gaza.”
“History will long reflect on this moment and will hold many countries accountable for their stance on the Gaza war. The global human conscience will not remain silent forever,” El-Sisi continued.
‘This is the fifth war in which Egypt has played a positive and active role in stopping the war. This is the fifth time. We are making this effort so that we can play a positive and peaceful role in any conflict that arises in our region in one way or another, he said.
Egypt has been playing this positive role since October 7, working as hard as ever to stop the war, bring aid in, and secure the release of hostages and prisoners. The role has not ended yet, Sisi said.
‘We stand ready to bring in aid many times more in order to relieve the Palestinian people, and we call for an end to the war, once, twice, three times, and we are making every effort, and we will continue to do so,’ Sisi said.
The crossing could have allowed aid to enter as long as there were no Israeli forces stationed on the Palestinian side, he said.
There are at present more than 5,000 trucks on Egyptian soil, both from Egypt and from other countries, the president said, urging media to give this more coverage.
Meanwhile, Sisi commended Vietnam’s steadfast and supportive stance of the Palestinian people’s right to establish their independent state, and the shared rejection of displacing them from their land.
“I appreciate Vietnam’s firm stance in supporting the Palestinian people’s right to establish their independent state, and our shared position rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the start of reconstruction, and reaching a comprehensive and lasting solution based on international legitimacy.”
