Revealed: The Surprising Reason Why Egypt Refuses to Open Borders to Palestinians
Unveiling Egypt's decision to keep its border closed to Palestinians in Gaza, this opinion piece sheds light on the valid concerns and grave consequences of denying a humanitarian corridor A must-read by Ghaith al-Omari and David Schenker
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Ghaith Al-Omari
Egypt's significance extends beyond its role as a leading Western-aligned Arab nation. It serves as a crucial partner for the Biden administration in all matters concerning Gaza due to its control over the Rafah crossing, the sole entry point to the embattled Gaza Strip since Israel closed its borders following a terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7. Egypt holds the power to determine and manipulate the conditions under which humanitarian aid can reach the Palestinian territory.
Given that Washington provides Egypt with more than $1 billion annually in military assistance, it is understandable that they may be frustrated by Cairo's refusal to allow American citizens and other nationals to exit Gaza through the crossing. Egypt appears to have linked their departure to the arrival of aid, adding to the frustration felt by humanitarian groups. These groups are also dismayed by Egypt's reluctance to open its border for a humanitarian corridor, which would enable the safe evacuation of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Gazans seeking refuge in the south of the Gaza Strip, particularly as intense fighting continues in the north where Rafah is located.
A baby receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza on October 23.
A view of buildings reduced to rubble and ruins by Israeli airstrikes are seen in Gaza on October 23.
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An Israeli soldier stands in an armoured vehicle near the Lebanon border on October 23.
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On Saturday, October 21, civilians who had been injured were found amidst the debris of a demolished house in the vicinity of a UNRWA school. The area, located in Khan Younis, Gaza, had been providing shelter for displaced individuals prior to the Israeli air strikes.
IDF soldiers clean the barrel of a tank in southern Israel on October 21.
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Relatives mourn for a family killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 21.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images.
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Palestinians inspect a destroyed area following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on October 21.
Muslim Palestinians take part in Friday noon prayers as Israeli police look on in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud, on October 20.
Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.
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A man carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 19.
A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18.
A Palestinian man inspects a destroyed house belonging to the Al-Jazzar family after an airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 18.
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The aftermath of a powerful explosion that devastated Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18 is captured in this image. Palestinian officials attribute the incident to continuing Israeli airstrikes, whereas a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces claims responsibility lies with a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group that failed in their rocket launch, causing it to strike the hospital.
President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.
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Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.
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On October 17, in Gan-Yavne, Israel, a funeral took place for the Kutz family. They were tragically killed in their home by Palestinian militants who had managed to infiltrate the Israeli Kibbutz of Kfar Aza just last week.
Aid supplies are seen in North Sinai, Egypt on October 16.
Street vendors work on a darkened street without power in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 16.
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Fatima Shbair/AP
Fatima Shbair/AP
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian youth during his funeral in Nablus, West Bank, on October 15.
People carry children as they flee following an Israeli strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday, October 15.
Antonio Macías' mother weeps over her son's lifeless body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15th. Macías tragically lost his life during an Israeli music festival earlier this month, victimized by Hamas.
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An Israeli soldier looks inside a house that was overrun by Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel, on October 13.
Palestinians rescue a wounded man from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 13.
Hatem Ali/AP
Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13.
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Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13.
Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
Family members mourn during the funeral of Valentin Ghnassia at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 12. Ghnassia lost his life in a confrontation with Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel.
An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.
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Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.
An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, October 11.
An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.
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Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.
Bullet holes mar the cracked window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, depicting the lingering aftermath of the attack by Hamas militants on October 7. This self-sustaining farming community, located near Gaza, fell victim to one of the initial strikes.
Itzik and Miriam Shafir, along with other mourners, gather at a cemetery in Modiin Maccabim, Israel on October 11 to bid farewell to their son. Dor Shafir, along with his girlfriend Savion Kiper, tragically lost their lives during Hamas' assault on a music festival last Saturday.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
On October 10, in Kfar Aza, a village in Israel located near the Gaza border, Israeli soldiers can be seen carrying a body. The Israel Defense Forces informed CNN that Hamas militants were responsible for a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their weekend attacks.
In Ashkelon, Israel, on October 10, mourners gather at the burial site of Eden Guez. She tragically lost her life while attending a music festival that was targeted by terrorists from Gaza. Israeli authorities have so far identified 260 casualties from the devastating Nova Festival attack.
Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.
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Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.
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Fatima Shbair/AP
People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.
A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.
A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
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Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.
A six-month-old infant named Sama Alwadia was saved from the debris in Gaza City on October 9. Despite surviving the initial attack, tragically, she later succumbed to her injuries during medical treatment.
Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.
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Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.
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Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.
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Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.
A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.
Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.
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Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.
Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.
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A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
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Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.
Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
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Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.
Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.
Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.
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Itai Ron/Reuters
People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.
In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza
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The concern is so deeply ingrained in the region that, despite the increasing number of Palestinian civilian casualties after October 7th, other Arab nations stood by Egypt's strong opposition to allowing refugees into the Sinai. In fact, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following his visits to various Arab capitals, stated in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV that every leader he spoke to in the region expressed that the idea of opening the Sinai for refugees was unacceptable and therefore not supported.
Furthermore, Egypt has privately maintained that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict ultimately falls under Israel's responsibility, and therefore, any political or territorial consequences resulting from its resolution should be borne by Israel. During the Trump administration, Egypt vehemently rejected an American proposal to construct infrastructure in Sinai to benefit Gaza, as they feared being dragged further into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
IDF soldiers clean the barrel of a tank in southern Israel on Saturday, October 21. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
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However, for the US to effectively achieve its goals of assisting Israel in weakening Hamas and concurrently offering vital aid to Palestinian civilians, it will be imperative to collaborate with its Arab allies. Egypt, due to its strategic location, historical significance, and diplomatic influence, holds a key role in this coordination.
