Egyptian civil society calls on Sisi to take 'courageous action' to 'save our people in Gaza'

Human rights organisations, political parties, and Egyptian public figures have signed a petition addressed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, urging him to leverage all of Egypt's political and diplomatic weight to pressure Israel to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and allow food and humanitarian aid to reach the starving population.

The petition, addressed to Sisi and circulated across social media platforms to gather as many signatures as possible states: 

"We, a group of civil society organisations, political parties, social and political leaders, intellectuals, academics, and artists, appeal to you to save our people in Gaza, who are being devastated by hunger and the lack of medical supplies and fuel needed to operate hospitals."

It calls for the president to take the "courageous decision to immediately open the Rafah border crossing from the Egyptian side in order to secure the entry of food and humanitarian aid to our besieged people there."

The petition also highlights the widespread famine spreading through Gaza as a result of Israel's siege, "which could result in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, most of them children."

It urges the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah crossing and use all possible means to pressure Israel to lift the siege and "ensure the sustained delivery of food and humanitarian aid in quantities sufficient for the entire population of Gaza".

It also asks that the Egyptian leader to intervene to ensure UN organisations are able to provide aid to reach the "hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation".

UN organisations are currently banned from entry into Gaza by Israel, which has replaced former UN aid distribution networks with the US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The GHF has been widely criticised for turning food into a weapon of war, with over 1,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military at the so-called aid distribution sites.

The petition acknowledges "Egypt's commitment to international agreements and … the country's efforts to stay away from destructive wars" while highlighting Egyptians' hopes for "a strong and urgent political and diplomatic intervention to end the siege".

The signatories pledge their active support for all Egyptian efforts to do so and ends with: "We count on a courageous decision from you to immediately open the Rafah crossing, so that Egypt can prevent a large-scale famine in Gaza—whose humanitarian consequences will surely leave deep wounds in all our consciences".

Several prominent political parties and civil society organisations signed up to the letter, along with dozens of individuals and public and political figures.

Human rights lawyer Halim Hanish, said he signed the statement in the hope that it would open a new "window" by "directly addressing the President of the Republic, asking him to use whatever means and tools he has to pressure the Israeli side".

He acknowledged that he did not have high hopes for a change in stance from the Egyptian government in light of the persecution of those who have been involved in activism for the Palestinian cause, but stated that citizens must do everything they can to "pressure the state until the very last moment to fulfil even a small part of its obligations".

"We are at a critical moment. Egypt's position is extremely weak. We're witnessing the Israeli side closing the border crossing, while Egypt has nothing but political and diplomatic tools at its disposal."

Responding to those who claim this letter is merely symbolic, Hanish said:
"At the end of the day, this is the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He must be held accountable, and we must address him and appeal to him before holding him accountable."

Hanish was pessimistic that the Egyptian state would treat the letter with the seriousness it deserves, since "the current situation in Gaza is, in itself, far greater than any letter."

However, he said that he hoped that "the state engages with the letter and sees that the [political] opposition is not against it on this issue, but is appealing to it to intervene in any way possible to stop the famine in Gaza."

Recently, Egyptians horrified by the scenes of starvation coming out of Gaza attempted to take matters into their own hands by launching a symbolic initiative named "From Sea to Sea – a Bottle of Hope for Gaza".

This has seen Egyptians fill one- and two-litre bottles with grains, rice, lentils, and other dry food supplies, before placing them in the Mediterranean Sea in the hope that they will reach Gaza.

Participants in the initiative said that it came as a desperate measure to overcome Israel's crippling siege, which has seen trucks of emergency aid being stopped at border crossings while hundreds of thousands starve.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.