Cairo / PNN /
Egypt on Monday condemned what it described as a “systematic and deliberate” policy by Israel using starvation as a weapon to break the will of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The statement came from Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister and G20 President’s representative, Ragy Etrabi, during an official meeting in Cairo of the G20 Working Group on Food Security.
Etrabi said in his televised address: “It is difficult to address food security issues without reforming trade systems and tackling challenges such as climate change.”
He added: “We cannot discuss food security without expressing our deep concern over the systematic and deliberate use of starvation in Gaza by Israel to try to break the resilience of the Palestinian people.”
Etrabi noted that famine has been officially declared in Gaza due to this tactic, describing it as part of an unprecedented Israeli assault. He called for urgent solutions to end the starvation in the Strip, stressing that “G20 solutions must address global food security, not only that of the member states.”
Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, blocking humanitarian aid and creating conditions of famine despite aid trucks accumulating at the borders. On August 22, the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification), affiliated with the UN, officially declared famine in northern Gaza, warning it would spread to Deir al-Balah in the center and Khan Yunis in the south by the end of September.
The Cairo meeting, the first hosted by Egypt and coordinated with South Africa, runs for three days and is the first G20 official meeting ever held in a non-member country since the group’s establishment in 1999. The discussions focus on growing global food insecurity ahead of the G20 ministerial meeting in South Africa on September 19.
Representatives from G20 member states, invited guest countries, and international financial institutions are attending. Key agenda items include recommendations from the G20 Food Security Working Group and negotiations over a ministerial statement on global food security, expected to be adopted during the South Africa ministerial meeting and issued as an official document during the G20 summit in Johannesburg on November 22–23, 2025.
Etrabi emphasized Egypt’s position that G20 members have the capacity to propose effective solutions to global food security crises.
