Actress Hend Sabri renounces her role as UN ambassador to denounce "famine" in Gaza

Tunisian actress Hend Sabri, based in Egypt, announced that she is stepping down from her role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to protest the use of "famine and siege as weapons of war" in Gaza.

"After 13 years of humanitarian work worldwide, I am leaving my role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the WFP," stated the 44-year-old Tunisian actress, renowned in the Arab world, late on Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter).

She condemned the use of "famine and siege as weapons of war" against the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, adding that she had tried unsuccessfully to make her voice heard to the WFP leadership.

The WFP expressed gratitude to the actress in a statement, praising her "quick response to emergency situations" that enabled the organization "to provide timely food assistance to those in greatest need."

The Gaza Strip has been the scene of conflict between Israel and Hamas since the attack carried out on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil.

In Israel, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed on the first day of the attack, according to authorities.

In response, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas, relentlessly bombing the Gaza Strip, where Hamas seized power in 2007. Over 14,000 people, primarily civilians, have been killed, according to the Hamas government.

Israel also imposed a "total siege" on the Gaza Strip, causing a severe humanitarian crisis and the displacement of over 1.7 million Gaza residents.

A four-day ceasefire is set to begin on Friday, the first sign of relief since the start of the conflict.