Israel quietly pushed for Egypt to admit large numbers of Gazans
The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, declined to comment on the proposal.
Days after the October 7 attack by Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that rules Gaza, the Israeli army called on all residents of northern Gaza – about half of the territory’s entire population – to evacuate to southern Gaza, in preparation for a ground invasion. . But Israel did not publicly suggest that Palestinians cross the Egyptian border, which has been largely closed since the war began.
Egypt has rejected the idea of a temporary displacement, let alone a permanent one. An Egyptian government spokesperson declined to comment for this article, referring instead to a speech last month by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s president, dismissing the idea.
“Egypt has confirmed and reiterated its complete rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians and their exodus to Egyptian lands in Sinai, as this is nothing other than a final liquidation of the Palestinian cause,” Mr el-Sisi said in a speech. speech published on his website.
However, some of Mr. Netanyahu’s political allies have publicly supported the idea of temporarily relocating large numbers of Gazans to Egypt, as well as to other countries in the region and the West.
Danny Danon, a lawmaker from Netanyahu’s Likud party and a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said he supported the evacuation of civilians from Gaza to give Israel more room to maneuver during its ground invasion of Gaza, and to move civilians out of harm’s way.
“We are trying to reduce casualties for our troops and for civilians,” Mr. Danon said in a telephone interview. “We expect not only the Egyptians, but the entire international community, to make a sincere effort to support and accept the people of Gaza.”
Mr. Danon added that the idea would need permission from the Egyptian government, which controls Gaza’s southern border. However, Mr. Danon is not a member of the government and could not confirm whether Israel has pushed foreign governments to support such a plan.
Israel’s diplomatic pressure has contributed to a growing sense of uncertainty about what will happen if Israel takes control, even temporarily, of parts or all of Gaza at the end of its military operations.