Egypt Fights ‘Soaring Prices’, Intensifies Inspection Campaigns

Egyptian Prime Minister attends the opening ceremony of “Welcome Ramadan” exhibition in Cairo (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister attends the opening ceremony of “Welcome Ramadan” exhibition in Cairo (Egyptian government)
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Egypt Fights ‘Soaring Prices’, Intensifies Inspection Campaigns

Egyptian Prime Minister attends the opening ceremony of “Welcome Ramadan” exhibition in Cairo (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister attends the opening ceremony of “Welcome Ramadan” exhibition in Cairo (Egyptian government)

The Egyptian government on Saturday said it will intensify inspection campaigns to monitor local markets as part of its efforts to combat the wave of soaring prices that affected basic food commodities as the country welcomes the Holy month of Ramadan.

In this regard, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy called on executive bodies in Egyptian governorates to launch campaigns to control the markets.

The Minister said these efforts aim to prevent monopolization and ensure traders’ compliance with price controls, making sure that citizens are not exploited.

Several Egyptian religious institutions had lately interfered to curb the wave of increasing prices by saying that monopolizing commodities is religiously a forbidden act.

Last month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned that the world could be facing a food crisis with prices soaring and crops at risk due to the war in Ukraine.

On Saturday, Shaarawy contacted a number of governors and informed them about the importance of checking on the availability of goods, and of meeting the needs and requirements of citizens throughout the month of Ramadan.

The Minister allowed this Ramadan the holding of Mawaid el-Rahman, or charity iftars, which offer different types of foods for free for the poor.

He said the governorates’ executive bodies should make sure that food products are available and in line with the measures to protect the health and safety of citizens.

Shaarawy then encouraged all youths initiatives and NGOs to work on providing food products to the people at reduced prices and to promote individual initiatives through social media.

Earlier, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the Egyptian state was capable of providing sufficient reserves of basic commodities and absorbing the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. He said that Egypt has sufficient stock of goods for the coming months.



Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israel's army on Sunday confirmed it was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand its war in Gaza, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said.

"This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza," Zamir said in a statement, adding the army would destroy all Hamas infrastructure, "both on the surface and underground.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the expansion of the Gaza offensive and a possible resumption of aid into the besieged enclave, two government officials said.
In a video message posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel's main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss "the next stage" of the war in Gaza.
It was unclear if the ministers will give final approval at the meeting.
Already in control of almost a third of Gaza's territory, Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.
Ministers have justified the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied. At the same time, Israel has faced warnings of famine in Gaza as supplies run low.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported last week that a new plan was in the works by which aid will soon be distributed by private foreign companies, rather than UN agencies, in a new designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks.
New aid plans will be discussed at Sunday's security cabinet meeting, two officials said.
Aid has been a contested issue within the Israeli leadership and defense establishment for months. The military has pushed back against calls by some politicians who want Israel to seize Gaza for good and have Israeli soldiers hand out aid.