Egypt's President, Belgium's PM warn of catastrophic consequences of an operation in Gaza's Rafah

CAIRO – 17 March 2024: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo have underscored the severe consequences of any potential operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah in Gaza.

The leaders expressed their concerns during a meeting held in Cairo on Sunday, as part of the Egyptian-European Summit.

Egypt has reiterated its warning about the dangers of conducting any military operation in the city of Rafah, which currently houses more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, most of whom are displaced by the Israeli war.

Egypt has warned about the severe humanitarian consequences that would be inflicted upon Palestinian civilians who have sought refuge in Rafah as their last safe haven within the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his approval for a potential ground invasion in Rafah, a move that has been widely criticized by the international community and Israeli allies.

The prospect of an Israeli invasion in Rafah has been deemed catastrophic by world countries, as the city is home to over 1.5 million Palestinians.

Prior to the war, Rafah's population was around 200,000, but displacement from the conflict has led to an overwhelming increase in residents and strain on infrastructure.

Israel's Rafah plan involves evacuating the population towards designated "humanitarian islands" in the center of the strip.

Egypt is concerned that the Rafah operation will claim scores of innocent lives and push others through the Egyptian border towards Sinai, a matter that Egypt has repeatedly rejected.

Egypt has emphasized taking all measures to prevent any form of displacement of Palestinians to the country from taking place.