Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi suggested relocating Palestiniansaffected by Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza to the Negev desert instead of askingCairo to accommodate them. This proposal was made on Day 11 of theIsrael-Hamas conflict, as Cairo did not open the gates of the only Rafahborder crossing to allow Gazans to seek refuge in Cairo.
During a media address alongside visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz,Sisi explained, “There is the Negev desert in Israel. The Palestinians canbe moved to the Negev desert until Israel completes its objectives with themilitary operatives in the Gaza Strip, at which point the Palestinians canreturn.”
Sisi expressed Egypt’s opposition to hosting Palestinians in the SinaiPeninsula, stating, “If the Palestinians are transferred to Egypt, theIsraeli military operation may continue for an extended period. In such ascenario, Egypt would bear the consequences, and Sinai could become a basefor operations against Israel, resulting in Egypt being labeled as a basefor terrorists.”
Sisi also asserted that Israel’s complete blockade of Gaza was a strategyto compel Palestinians to relocate to the Sinai Peninsula.
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He added, “Israel’s actions, such as cutting power, water, and electricity,are intended to forcibly transfer Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, aproposal that Egypt strongly opposes.”