Sisi says Israel’s war in Gaza ‘systematic genocide’

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday Israel was pursuing “a war of starvation and genocide” in Gaza, and denied accusations 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 launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, vowing to crush the Palestinian group and to free hostages.

The Israeli cabinet is set to convene on Thursday at 6 pm (1500 GMT) as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

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 Tuesday Israel must “complete” the defeat of Hamas to free hostages 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.

It has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Following mounting international pressure on Israel, in late May aid has only began trickling into Gaza, which borders Israel and Egypt.

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 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 criticising 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 Tuesday.

“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, brining in aid and ending this suffering”.

Despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave, efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas have collapsed.

Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli firing.

An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that Defence Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also attend the meeting to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet this week.

A Palestinian official said the suggestion of a full takeover of Gaza may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports.

“The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious,” it said.

Agencies