UNITED NATIONS: All United Nations Security Council members, except the United States, on Wednesday said the famine in Gaza was a “manmade crisis” and warned that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is banned under international humanitarian law.
In a joint statement, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery.
“Famine in Gaza must be stopped immediately,” they said. “Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay and Israel must reverse course.”
Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system said 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza — are experiencing famine and that is due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
Israel asked the global hunger monitor on Wednesday to retract the assessment. Israel dismissed the findings as false and biased, saying the IPC had based its survey on partial data largely provided by Hamas, which did not take into account a recent influx of food.
At a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza on Wednesday, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea questioned the credibility and integrity of the IPC report, saying it “doesn’t pass the test on either.”
“We all recognize that hunger is a real issue in Gaza and that there are significant humanitarian needs which must be met. Addressing those needs is a priority for the United States,” she told the 15-member council.
All UN Security Council members, except US, say famine in Gaza is ‘man-made crisis’
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All UN Security Council members, except US, say famine in Gaza is ‘man-made crisis’
- 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza
- Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea questioned the credibility and integrity of the IPC report, saying it ‘doesn’t pass the test on either’
El-Sisi says Egypt in ‘state of near-emergency’ as war threatens economy
- El-Sisi said “the current crisis might have some repercussions on prices“
- He said Egypt was attempting “sincere and honest mediation efforts to stop the war”
CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Thursday his country was in an economic “state of near-emergency” as a result of the Middle East war, warning of runaway inflation.
The Arab world’s most populous nation has not been physically impacted by the US and Israeli war with Iran, which has seen strikes on Egypt’s wealthy Gulf allies and paralyzed trade through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
But by the close of business Thursday, the Egyptian pound had fallen to an eight-month low against the US dollar, trading at 50.2 to the USD amid reports of short-term investment outflows.
Egypt’s import-dependent economy has proven highly sensitive to fluctuations in the currency, which has lost two-thirds of its value since 2022.
At a military academy event, El-Sisi said “the current crisis might have some repercussions on prices,” warning that price-gouging traders could be tried “in military courts,” according to a statement from his spokesman.
Over the weekend, El-Sisi had warned the war could spell trouble for the Suez Canal, the region’s other vital waterway besides the Strait of Hormuz and a key source of foreign currency for Egypt.
Major shipping companies have already directed traffic away from the region, rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope off the tip of southern Africa.
El-Sisi said Thursday that Egypt was attempting “sincere and honest mediation efforts to stop the war, as its continuation will have a hefty toll.”
Cairo has in the past hosted nuclear talks between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and is a guarantor of the US-brokered Gaza peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday his country was “not asking for a ceasefire” or negotiations with the US.
