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Two New Candidates Run for Presidential Election in Egypt

A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
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Two New Candidates Run for Presidential Election in Egypt

A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)

Two new figures, opposition activist and head of Egypt's liberal Constitution Party (al-Dostour) Gameela Ismail and Chairman of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran, have announced they were running for the upcoming presidential elections in Egypt.

Ismail informed her party of her decision to enter the presidential race in response to a request from its supreme body. She has called for an extraordinary general assembly on October 4 to vote on her candidacy.

On Wednesday, Egypt's National Election Authority (NEA) announced that it had completed the "logistical procedures" for the upcoming elections, emphasizing it will maintain an equal distance from all candidates.

NEA executive director Ahmed Bendari stated that the Authority will guarantee the full rights of all candidates who meet the nomination requirements.

Zahran announced that his party held an urgent meeting to review its stance on the upcoming presidential election, as NEA is set to announce its timetable on Monday.

The meeting was attended by 134 members out of the party's total 143.

According to a party statement, "after a ten-hour meeting, 75 percent of members voted in favor of Zahran running for president, 15 percent objected, and 10 percent abstained."

The Civil Democratic Movement, an opposition coalition comprising 12 parties and public figures, seeks to agree on a single candidate.

If Gameela Ismail runs for the presidency, she will become the first Egyptian woman to do so.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has not announced his intention to run for another term.

To date, five political figures, including head of the Wafd Party Abdel-Sanad Yamama, former MP and member of the Wafd Party's Higher Council Fouad Badrawi, head of the People's Republican Party Hazem Omar, chairman of the Democratic Peace Party Ahmed el-Fadaly, and former MP and former head of leftist al-Karama Party Ahmed Tantawi have said they have plans to run in the upcoming elections.

Egyptian expert Abdel Moneim Said told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egyptian parties are taking the elections seriously and should continue efforts to agree on one candidate.

During a press conference, the National Election Authority laid down rules stipulating that a candidate for the presidency must be endorsed by at least twenty parliament members or supported by no less than 25,000 citizens who have the right to vote in at least fifteen governorates.

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Arab World

Death Trap in Gaza Will Scar Generations

Photograph taken inside Nasser Hospital, after a siege by the Israeli forces. At the end of January, the Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the entire area and surrounded the hospital, which found itself at the center of intense fighting for several weeks. (MSF)
Photograph taken inside Nasser Hospital, after a siege by the Israeli forces. At the end of January, the Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the entire area and surrounded the hospital, which found itself at the center of intense fighting for several weeks. (MSF)
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Death Trap in Gaza Will Scar Generations

Photograph taken inside Nasser Hospital, after a siege by the Israeli forces. At the end of January, the Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the entire area and surrounded the hospital, which found itself at the center of intense fighting for several weeks. (MSF)
Photograph taken inside Nasser Hospital, after a siege by the Israeli forces. At the end of January, the Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the entire area and surrounded the hospital, which found itself at the center of intense fighting for several weeks. (MSF)

Repeated Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians over the last 14 months, the dismantling of the healthcare system and other essential infrastructure, the suffocating siege, and the systematic denial of humanitarian assistance are destroying life conditions in Gaza, according to a new Doctors Without Borders report “Gaza: Life in a death trap.”
Christopher Lockyear, MSF secretary general, who visited Gaza earlier this year, said “People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave.”
He added that the recent military offensive in the north is a stark illustration of the brutal war the Israeli forces are waging on Gaza, and we are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped, and bombed.
“What our medical teams have witnessed on the ground throughout this conflict is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza,” he said.
Also, the secretary general noted that “while we don’t have legal authority to establish intentionality, the signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastation—including mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment—are undeniable.”
The United Nations estimated earlier this year that more than 10,000 bodies remained buried under the rubble.
Israeli forces have on numerous occasions prevented essential items such as food, water, and medical supplies from entering the Strip, as well as blocked, denied, and delayed humanitarian assistance, as documented in the report.
Some 1.9 million people—90% of the entire population of the Strip—have been forcibly displaced, many forced to move multiple times.
The situation in northern Gaza is especially dire following Israel’s recent scorched earth military offensive that has depopulated large areas and reportedly killed almost 2,000 people.
The northern part of the Strip, particularly Jabalia camp, has been besieged again by Israeli forces since Oct. 6, 2024.
Israeli authorities have dramatically reduced the quantity of essential aid authorized to enter the north.
“For more than a year, our medical staff in Gaza have witnessed a relentless campaign by the Israeli forces marked by massive destruction, devastation, and dehumanization,” said Lockyear.
“Palestinians have been killed in their homes and in hospital beds. They have been forcibly displaced time and time again to areas that are not safe or healthy. People cannot find even the most basic necessities like food, clean water, medicines, and soap amid a punishing siege and blockade,” he added.
MSF called on states, particularly Israel’s closest allies, to end their unconditional support for Israel and fulfill their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza.
Nearly a year ago, on Jan. 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel has taken no meaningful action to comply with the court order, the MSF report said.
Instead, Israeli authorities continue to actively block MSF and other humanitarian organizations from providing lifesaving assistance to people trapped under siege and bombardment.
MSF said that States must leverage their influence to alleviate the suffering of the population and enable a massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance across the Gaza Strip.
Describing Israel as the occupying power, MSF said Israeli authorities are responsible for ensuring the rapid, unimpeded, and safe delivery of humanitarian aid at the level sufficient to address people’s needs.
Instead, MSF said Israel’s blockade and continued obstruction of aid have made it close to impossible for people in Gaza to access essential goods, including fuel, food, water, and medicines.
At the same time, Israel has decided to effectively ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which is the largest provider of aid, health care, and other vital services for Palestinians, it added.
MSF repeated its call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
It said the total destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza must stop.
MSF said it is also calling for immediate and safe access to northern Gaza to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to hospitals.
Its report noted that even if the Israeli military offensive on Gaza ended today, its long-term impacts would be unprecedented, given the scale of the destruction and the extraordinary challenges of providing health care across the Strip.
It said a staggering number of war-wounded people are at risk of infection, amputation, and permanent disability, and many will require years of rehabilitative care.
“The cumulative physical toll and mental trauma caused by the extreme violence, loss of family members and homes, repeated forced displacement, and inhumane living conditions will scar generations,” MSF added.