Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said his country will remain a conduit—not an exit route—for Palestinians, pledging that the Rafah crossing will stay open for aid and not for large-scale displacement. Speaking at a 5 August press conference, he noted that humanitarian deliveries had plunged from roughly 600 trucks a day before the October 2023 war to “almost zero,” even though Egypt has 5,000 loaded trucks ready to move. The crossing itself, he added, has been struck four times during the conflict and is being repaired after each attack. El-Sisi intensified his language the next day, calling Israel’s military campaign a “systematic genocide” and urging global powers to secure an immediate cease-fire and prisoner-exchange deal. He said Egypt has worked since 2007 to avert escalation in Gaza and continues to mediate despite what he described as “smear and disinformation campaigns.” Humanitarian agencies report that conditions inside the enclave are deteriorating sharply. UN OCHA data cited by Reuters show 81 percent of households now suffer poor food consumption, with at least 193 malnutrition-related deaths—half of them children—since the war began. Average daily water use has fallen to 3–5 litres per person, far below the 15-litre emergency benchmark, as damaged pipelines and polluted aquifers spread disease. El-Sisi acknowledged that the conflict has also hit Egypt’s economy, saying reduced Suez Canal traffic is denting state revenue. Nonetheless, he insisted Cairo will press on with its reform agenda and called on Egyptians to reject social-media rumors that could undermine domestic stability.