Cairo: Egypt has accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza, warning that the deepening food crisis is a 'manufactured' effort to break the people's resilience. Speaking at the G20 Working Group on Global Food Security in Cairo-the first time the forum has convened outside member countries-Ragui El-Etreby, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's personal representative to the G20 and BRICS, emphasized the urgent need for international accountability.
According to State Information Service Egypt, El-Etreby stated that the situation in the Gaza Strip is not a natural disaster, but a systematic policy that weaponizes hunger to crush the will of the Palestinian people. He argued that the crisis should prompt wider reforms of the global food system, including changes to multilateral trade rules, investment in infrastructure, and the adoption of new technology to boost agricultural productivity and climate resilience.
His remarks come in the wake of Gaza being officially declared in famine by the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), placing over half a million people in the grip of catastrophic hunger, with projections that the number could rise to 640,000 by September. The IPC's declaration is based on meeting strict criteria: at least 20 percent of households facing extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition exceeding 30 percent among children, and death rates surpassing two per 10,000 people per day.
UN officials and aid agencies have highlighted that the famine is entirely "man-made," citing nearly two years of relentless bombardment, forced displacement, and destruction of essential infrastructure as major contributors. Israel's comprehensive blockade-intensified in May 2024 with the seizure of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and escalated into a full siege on 2 March-has severely restricted the entry of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid, making famine inevitable according to international agencies.
Egypt, alongside various Arab, Muslim, and international actors, has condemned the blockade as collective punishment in violation of international law. After global outrage, Israel began allowing limited aid through the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing and the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing from 27 July. These aid convoys, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent in collaboration with the United Nations and its partners, are part of the ERC's Zad El-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza initiative.
Despite these efforts, Israel continues to block thousands of aid trucks and restricts the types of goods allowed into Gaza. Humanitarian groups report that the current aid flow meets less than 15 percent of daily needs, with the UN estimating 600-800 trucks per day are required to sustain the population. The IPC estimates that Gaza's entire population of over 2 million is experiencing severe food insecurity, with around 58 percent in 'Emergency' and 32 percent in 'Catastrophe' phases. Without an immediate ceasefire and full restoration of aid access, experts warn that mass and avoidable deaths are inevitable.