Hend Sabry, a well-known actress from Tunisia and Egypt, announced her resignation from the World Food Programme on Wednesday. She cited the organization’s inability to successfully mobilize against Israel’s policy of denying food to any Palestinians in Gaza during its ceaseless bombardment of the region for more than 46 days.
As a WFP Goodwill Ambassador, Sabry, a multiple award-winning actress and television personality, worked with underprivileged communities in Sudan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Libya, among other nations.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, the 2.4 million people living there have been on the verge of starvation as a result of the complete blockade imposed by Israel on the entry of all but a trickle of the water, food, and fuel needed by Palestinians living under bombardment.
Numerous global humanitarian organizations have consistently denounced Israel’s deadly blockade of Gaza and its bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of over 14,000 civilians and injured over 32,000 more.
Sabry’s resignation comes a few days after Cindy McCain, the WFP executive director, attended a forum “honoring the people of Israel” and reportedly refused to condemn Israel’s killing of more than 105 UNRWA and other UN relief workers in Gaza since the start of its war on the strip.
Several program participants were so offended by Senator McCain’s controversial actions that they sent out an internal letter casting doubt on her impartiality and ethics in the face of an unparalleled humanitarian crisis.
The Biden administration nominated Cindy McCain, the late US Senator John McCain’s widow and ardent supporter of Israel, to lead the WFP, which is headquartered in Rome. Cindy McCain began her position in April.
With Sabry’s resignation, UN employees have yet again demonstrated their outrage and protest against the UN system’s incapacity to effectively address Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights during the ongoing conflict.
Craig Mokhiber, the director of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York, resigned in late October in protest, citing concerns about how some UN agencies were handling Palestinian human rights issues during the conflict.
