Watan-Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi denied his government’s involvement in the blockade of Gaza, transforming into a religious preacher to disavow responsibility for the escalating humanitarian tragedy in the region. In a speech on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, he stated, “Where else can I go but to our Lord, if I am the cause.”
This denial comes despite numerous pieces of evidence pointing to the Egyptian regime’s responsibility for the suffering of Palestinians, including media and human rights reports, as well as statements from Israeli officials implicating Sisi in the blockade.
During a police celebration event, al-Sisi blamed what he referred to as “the other side’s measures” for hindering aid from passing through the Rafah crossing to Gaza, characterizing it as a form of pressure exerted by the Israeli side on the region.
🎥#السيسي: “أروح من ربنا فين لو أنا السبب في عدم إدخال لقمة العيش لقطاع #غزة؟”.
📍#تذكير: فريق الدفاع عن إسرائيل في مرافعته أمام محكمة العدل الدولية قال إن: “دخول غزة من #مصر هو تحت سيطرة مصر، وإسرائيل ليست ملزمة بموجب القانون الدولي أن تتيح الوصول إلى غزة من أراضيها”.… pic.twitter.com/jNIpGSxiay
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) January 24, 2024
Al-Sisi challenges the evidence and documents
Al-Sisi challenged evidence and documents, speaking against claims that have long been confirmed by facts and reports, saying, “Rafah crossing is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in 30 days.”
He continued, “We cannot close Rafah crossing to the passage of aid to Gaza… We don’t need statements from the intelligence, foreign affairs, or interior ministries, or the general intelligence. We don’t operate like that.”
Some critics condemned al-Sisi for his statements, questioning the sovereignty of the Egyptian-Palestinian border, which is supposed to be free from Israeli interference. One commenter asked, “Mr. President, the crossing is Palestinian and Egyptian. What does Israel have to do with it? Where is the border distance?”
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, warnings continue about hundreds of thousands of besieged Palestinians facing famine.
On the 110th day of the Israeli war against the region, Khan Yunis is subjected to intense shelling, accompanied by fierce clashes between resistance forces and Israeli occupation forces.
The Israeli forces persist in committing atrocities against civilians, with at least 210 killed and around 400 others injured in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
Al-Sisi’s statements denying responsibility for the Gaza blockade come at a time when Egypt is facing an economic crisis, witnessing a depreciation of the local currency against the dollar, rising inflation rates, increased prices, and a shortage of foreign exchange reserves.