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Egypt Announces 47% Increase in Suez Canal Revenues

17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
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Egypt Announces 47% Increase in Suez Canal Revenues

17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)

The Egyptian government on Friday denied that the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) had reached an agreement with a foreign company to manage the canal’s services.

In spite of the denial, the hashtag “Suez Canal” remained the top trending topic in the country over the past two days, prompting SCA chairman, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, to warn against heeding rumors.

Rabie said the canal is owned by Egypt and the Egyptian people and that all employees in the canal are and will remain Egyptians.

In statements to Al Nahar TV, he urged Egyptians to shun such rumors.

Social media posts had claimed that the SCA had contracted a company to manage its operations through a 99-year concession contract. The post sparked widespread outrage among Egyptians on social media.

On Friday, the cabinet denied the reports.

In a statement, it explained that it contacted the SCA for clarification. The SCA categorically dismissed the reports.

“The SCA stressed the Suez Canal will remain as a state-owned asset,” the cabinet added.

Separately, Rabei said revenues from the canal increased by 47 percent in January, compared to the same period last year.

He added that 23,800 vessels crossed the canal last year and that 2,159 vessels transited the canal in January, an increase of 21 percent.

General Coordinator of the National Dialogue and head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan said the Suez Canal is more than a waterway in Egypt, stressing that it is a symbol of the country’s modern history since its establishment in 1805.

In televised remarks, he warned that the canal is being targeted by rumors and false claims with the aim of harming the people.

In December, the parliament had caused as a stir when it approved a draft law on amending the work regulations of the SCA and establishing a dedicated fund to manage its assets.

The moved sparked widespread political and popular debate.

At the time, Rabie explained that the fund was aimed at investing part of the canal revenues in developing the SCA and projects that will benefit all Egyptians.

He stressed that Egypt will continue to have full sovereignty over the waterway.

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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.