Egypt has warned both the United States and Israel of a potential "rift" in relations if Palestinians from Gaza are displaced to Sinai due to Israeli military operations, according to Axios, which cites four American and Israeli officials. The website reported that Egypt views the conflict in Gaza as a threat to its national security and is making significant efforts to prevent Palestinian refugees from entering its territory.
Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority expressed concerns from the early days of the Gaza war about Israel pushing Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt and not allowing them to return after the conflict, as noted by Axios. Israeli officials have repeatedly denied these concerns and assured Egypt that any Palestinian wounded allowed to leave Gaza for medical treatment would be allowed to return to the enclave.
Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian State Information Service, stated on Thursday that the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai is a "red line" for Cairo, which will not allow it regardless of the consequences.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in Washington on Thursday, expressed that Egypt wants to see the Palestinian Authority govern Gaza, but noted that it is too early to discuss details about the future arrangements for the territory, ahead of a meeting on Friday between senior diplomats from Arab nations and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to Reuters.
Washington is urging neighboring Arab countries to participate in discussions about how to manage Gaza if Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
