Egyptian MPs reject infringing Egyptian sovereignty, Israel denies inviting Gaza residents to relocate to Egypt

CAIRO - 10 October 2023: Spokesperson for the Israeli army Avichay Adraee denied on Tuesday the existence of an official Israeli invitation to direct the residents of the Gaza Strip towards Egyptian territories.

"The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been campaigning to evacuate civilians from areas where the Palestinian military personnel reside. Residents are directed to shelters within the boundaries of the Gaza Strip," Adraee posted on his official account on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Egyptian high-profile security sources told Al-Qahera News that the Palestinian Cause is taking the most perilous turn in its history, as the occupation is obviously planning to pressure the residents to make a choice between dying in Gaza or getting displaced.

The sources warned of the repercussions of the current crisis on the fundamentals of the Palestinian Cause and rights. They added that way was being paved for the occupation’s plan by propagating proposals that were previously put forward by the occupation and sullied politically and historically. "The plan is to move Gaza residents to Sinai," the sources stated.

The sources noted that Egyptians and Palestinians have always rejected such a scheme that aims to terminate the Palestinian Cause.

Several members of the Egyptian Parliament condemned the provocative calls of the Israeli side to relocate Palestinians to Egyptian territories to empty Gaza, stressing that Egypt is a sovereign state.

This comes as the chief spokesperson for the Israeli military, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hish stated, "I am aware that the Rafah crossing (on the Gaza-Egypt border) is still open... and I advise anyone who can leave to do so." Hish reiterated there is no official Israeli invitation to direct Gaza Strip residents towards Egyptian territories.

In response to these developments, Hazem El-Gendy, a member of the Egyptian Senate and assistant to the president of the Wafd Party, argued that the Israeli side is resorting to incitement tactics concerning the Palestinian issue. El-Gendy further highlighted the danger of displacement calls, describing them as a malicious scheme aimed at emptying Gaza of Palestinians. He further emphasized that such actions not only cast a shadow over the Palestinian cause, but also impinge on Egypt's sovereignty over its territory.

El-Gendy stressed that silence is not an option in the face of such actions.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Hamdi Mousa, a member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, stated that Egypt rejects all attempts to compromise its sovereignty, clarifing that Israel's calls for Palestinians to relocate to Egyptian territories, followed by retracting such calls, is nothing but a malevolent attempt to strip the Palestinian cause of its essence.

Mousa further asserted that Israel seeks to undermine the entire Palestinian identity, expressing  bewilderment at the global silence regarding Israeli violations within Palestinian territories.

Mousa concluded by affirming that the Palestinian cause will remain a matter of great concern for Egypt and all Arabs. He stressed that the rights of the Palestinian people will always be Egypt's primary concern in all international forums. Additionally, he called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in addressing the violations by the occupying authorities against humanity.