Sisi Discusses Army’s Efforts in Preserving Egypt’s National Security

Sisi was accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid.  (Egyptian presidency)
Sisi was accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid. (Egyptian presidency)
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Sisi Discusses Army’s Efforts in Preserving Egypt’s National Security

Sisi was accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid.  (Egyptian presidency)
Sisi was accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid. (Egyptian presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed on Monday with the army commanders, the tasks of the armed forces and their efforts to preserve the pillars of the country’s national security.

The meeting came in line with the celebrations marking the 49th anniversary of the October 6 War victory.

Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said Sisi chaired a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, during which he congratulated Egyptians on the occasion of celebrating the victories in the October 1973 war.

Sisi discussed with the army commanders the tasks of the armed forces and their efforts to “protect Egypt’s national security at all strategic levels, in cooperation and coordination with state institutions”, Rady stated.

The President later laid a wreath on the Unknown Soldier Memorial and the tombs of the two leaders, Anwar El-Sadat and Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Sisi was accompanied by Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production, as well as Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, for his part, pledged in a congratulatory letter to Sisi on this occasion that the government maintains its efforts to achieve comprehensive development throughout the country.



World Food Program Condemns Israeli Attack on Its Gaza Convoy

People and first responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed residential building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the Saraya area in al-Rimal in central Gaza City on January 4, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
People and first responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed residential building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the Saraya area in al-Rimal in central Gaza City on January 4, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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World Food Program Condemns Israeli Attack on Its Gaza Convoy

People and first responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed residential building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the Saraya area in al-Rimal in central Gaza City on January 4, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
People and first responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed residential building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the Saraya area in al-Rimal in central Gaza City on January 4, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The UN World Food Program said on Monday that Israeli forces had opened fire on one of its convoys in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza in what it called a "horrifying incident".

The agency said the convoy of three vehicles carrying eight staff members from central Gaza to Gaza City in the north was struck by 16 bullets near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint on Sunday, causing no injuries but immobilizing the convoy.

The vehicles were clearly marked and had received prior security clearances from Israeli authorities, a WFP statement said.

"The World Food Program (WFP) strongly condemns the horrifying incident on January 5," it said.

"This unacceptable event is just the latest example of the complex and dangerous working environment that WFP and other agencies are operating in today," WFP said, calling for improvements in security conditions to allow aid to continue.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.

International aid agencies working to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza have frequently accused Israeli forces of hampering or threatening their operations amid Israel's campaign to wipe out Hamas fighters.