12/13/2023

Why Egypt Doesn't Want Gaza's Palestinians to Cross the Border

The country cites concerns about their displacement, regional security issues

As the bombardment of Gaza intensifies, forcing Palestinians to flee their homes, Israel's military is directing them to the territory's southernmost Rafah governorate. There, hemmed in by Israeli forces and the Mediterranean Sea, Palestinians seemingly have only one place to go — across the border into Egypt's Sinai Desert.

Egypt has rejected allowing an influx from Gaza, citing concerns about the displacement of Palestinians and regional security issues.

But it's an option that Israel has apparently considered. A "concept paper" drafted by Israeli intelligence shortly after the start of the war in October proposes moving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to tent encampments in northern Sinai and then building permanent cities. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said the report is only a hypothetical exercise.

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