Egypt has been presented with a challenging predicament since the Gaza War began in October, as it tries to maintain its ties with Israel, its neighbor, while simultaneously demonstrating support with the Palestinians. The sole access to the outside world for the beleaguered region that is not directly controlled by Israel is theoretically through the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza. In reality, Israel maintains control over all commodities coming into and going out of the border, including humanitarian supplies meant for Gaza, which is experiencing severe food shortages that the UN worries might lead to “starvation”.
Strategic importance of the Gaza border
Voices are raised regularly calling for Egypt to open its border to the Palestinians, while Israel charges Egypt of not doing more. “Lie,” responds Egyptian official spokeswoman Diaa Rachwan, citing “deliberate obstruction” by the Israeli army. The UN reports that just around 14,000 vehicles have been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip thus far, which is five times less than before the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. Researcher Dima Alsajdeya of the College de France clarified that “Egypt complies with Israeli directives on the ground. It occasionally makes an effort to negotiate but ultimately agrees to the terms set down by the Israelis, which include laborious inspections that cause delays. The assistance vehicles were stopped at least five times by Israeli gunfire or aircraft hitting the facility.
Security concerns and counterterrorism efforts
Egypt, which facilitated a week-long ceasefire and hostage-for-prisoner exchange in late November alongside Qatar and the US, only expresses its views unequivocally when it comes to humanitarian supplies. Egyptians have expressed concerns about the disastrous outcome they have been warning against since the beginning of the war: the forced relocation of Palestinians to Sinai, which occurred when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to start preparing for an attack on Rafah on February 8. Although Egyptian officials claim to be prepared for “all scenarios,” they would not discuss the potential ramifications of an attack on Rafah, which Israel has framed as the last blow against Hamas in retaliation for the attack on Israel on October 7.
Balancing security and humanitarian considerations
Though if Palestinians are deported to the Sinai, Egypt fears they will disperse across its territory and wants to contain them in an area developed in advance, almost 1.5 million Palestinians crammed into the city fearing the worst. Although two prominent local businessmen revealed to the non-governmental organization Sinai Foundation for Human Rights that they had been awarded contracts to construct a gated region “surrounded by seven-meter-high walls,” Egyptian officials publicly dispute this. Though open calls for the evacuation of all Gazans have been made by various government officials, Israel officially rejects any “intention to evacuate Palestinian civilians” into Egypt. Arab nations are adamantly against the formation of new Palestinian refugees because those who were forced to flee or were pushed out during the wars that preceded Israel’s birth in 1948 and 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza, are still fighting for their “right of return.” Egypt, the sole Arab nation that borders Gaza, is also worried by Hamas because it is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is its nemesis.
Diplomatic relations with Israel and Palestinian authorities
Both Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, and for military and security cooperation, neither country wants to see it suspended. Recently, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, emphasized that “we respect and value our peace agreement with Egypt, a cornerstone of stability in the region and an important partner”. Alsajdeya continued, “This peace treaty has survived” all the upheavals of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Egypt has never recalled the Israeli ambassador to Cairo or questioned diplomatic ties since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Egypt settled for a written statement even after accusing Israel of trying to “legitimate its attempt to occupy the Philadelphi Corridor,” a corridor that runs along its border with Gaza.
In conclusion, As hundreds of tons of relief materials are accumulating at El-Arish airport in Egypt, the world community is increasingly depending on a marine humanitarian corridor between Gaza and Cyprus. Gazans dread longer delays there as well, where “a security check corresponding to Israeli standards” would be implemented. 200 tons of food were being transported by ship from the island of Cyprus to the Gaza Strip, which has been destroyed by conflict, in order to test the opening of a sea passage to the beleaguered Palestinian region, where hundreds of thousands of people are in danger of starving.
