Why Egypt refuses to open its border to Palestinians forcibly displaced from Gaza

Liyana Kayali, University of SydneyAround 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are currently squeezed into the southern Gaza city of Rafah after repeatedly being forced by Israeli bombardment and ground assaults to evacuate further and further south.The town, which originally had a population of 250,000, is now home to more than half of Gaza’s entire population. They are sheltering in conditions the UN’s top aid official has called “abysmal,” with disease spreading and famine looming.In a military onslaught, the International Court of Justice has ruled a plausible case of genocide, Israel has so far killed over 29,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Now there are increasing fears that Israel’s expected ground assault on Rafah could push civilians across the border into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Originally designated as a “safe zone,” Rafah is now being targeted by Israeli airstrikes, as well. Those fleeing the violence have nowhere safe to go.However, Egypt, the only country aside from Israel that has a border with Gaza, has rebuffed pressure to accept Palestinian refugees displaced by Israel.Reports have indicated that Israeli officials have tried to lobby for international support to compel Egypt to accept refugees from Gaza.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, however, has been adamant in refusing to allow humanitarian corridors or the entry of large numbers of Palestinians into Sinai. He has called it a “red line” that, if crossed, would “liquidate the Palestinian cause.”In recent days, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has validated Egypt’s position. Grandi said displacing Gazans to Egypt would be “catastrophic” for both Egypt and the Palestinians, who, he indicated, would likely not be allowed to return.



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