One solution for Palestinian civilians is the Negev Desert in southern Israel

Last update: 13.46

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that “the forced deportation of Palestinians cannot be imposed,” warning of a mass exodus of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, which he considers the first stage before “a similar movement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.” The West Bank to Jordan” and “The End of the Palestinian Issue.”

He pointed out that it is possible to transfer the Palestinians to the Negev Desert in Israel “until the militants are dealt with.”

Welcoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Cairo, the Egyptian president delivered his most comprehensive and scathing speech since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza on October 7, which has killed and displaced thousands on both sides. One million people in the small Palestinian enclave on the border with Egypt.

The Egyptian President indicated that pushing the Palestinians to leave their lands is “a way to end the Palestinian issue at the expense of neighboring countries.”

He added, “The idea of ​​forcing Gazans to move to Egypt will lead to a similar movement of Palestinians from the West Bank,” which is the territory occupied by Israel, “and this will make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible.” compressed.

He warned that “if you ask the Egyptian people to take to the streets, there will be millions who will support Egypt’s position,” also citing “Arab public opinion” and “Islamic public opinion” that take into account “the Palestinian issue.” It is the greatest thing.”

While the world calls for the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, Sisi stressed that his country “did not close the Rafah crossing” to Gaza, but humanitarian aid does not enter the Palestinian territories due to “Israeli bombing.”

Hundreds of trucks have been stranded in Egypt’s Sinai desert for days, unable to pass through the Rafah crossing to deliver aid to Gaza’s 2.4 million people, as the World Health Organization now says: “For every second we spend waiting for medical help, we are losing lives.” .

For his part, the German Chancellor said that he went to Egypt “to work together for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza as quickly as possible.” He also indicated that Germany wants to support Egypt’s efforts to calm tensions after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Olaf Soles added: “We want to work with Egypt to mitigate the dire consequences of the war,” noting that he and the Egyptian President also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The issue of opening the Rafah border crossing is crucial for Egypt, which faces a dilemma: either allow the Palestinians to leave at the risk of Israel preventing them from returning, or close their only outlet to a world that does not allow it. Under the control of Israel, leaving it under continuous air strikes and artillery shelling.

Security issue

To the issue of creating more Palestinian refugees, who already number nearly six million in the world since the establishment of Israel in 1948, is added the issue of security for Egypt.

Al-Sisi pointed out that “by transferring the Palestinians to Sinai, we are transferring resistance and struggle to Egypt.” He warned that if attacks were launched from its territory, “then Israel will have the right to defend itself (…) and will strike Egyptian territory.”

He continued that the peace reached between Israel and Egypt in 1979 – which made Cairo the first Arab country to recognize Israel and thus one of the largest beneficiaries of US military aid – “will collapse in our hands.”

Recently, former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon called on Egypt to “play the game” and establish camps to host Palestinians “temporarily” in Sinai, noting that there is “almost unlimited space.”

“If the idea is forced displacement, then there it is Negev“The desert in southern Israel,” Sisi responded today. He added: “Israel can then return them (to Gaza) if it wants to.”

The war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas began after its fighters launched a surprise attack on October 7 in Israel, which has since carried out retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip. The conflict left more than 1,400 dead on the Israeli side and more than 3,000 dead on the Palestinian side.