Dear Jimmie,
Egypt is a net importer of food. That is why they sell natural gas to Israel, in order to get western currency to buy food.
That is why a protracted war with Israel would be stupid on their part — starvation.
No one claimed they are not, dear Sally.
However, they are far, far from what one would call a “desolate wilderness”. They export rice, for crying out loud.
That said, their desire to wage war with Israel is of course, congenitally stupid.