Activists protest Rafah crossing closure at Egyptian embassy in Beirut
Activists blocked Monday the road leading to the Egyptian embassy in Beirut in protest against the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing, has repeatedly warned against any "forced displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai desert.
Demonstrators held up banners with slogans against Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, accusing him of being an accomplice in the blockade, genocide and displacement of the people of Gaza.
Ahead of a planned Israeli offensive targeting the border city of Rafah, Egypt is building a wall and is leveling land near its border with the Gaza Strip.
Israel's defense minister has said it has “no intention” of pushing Palestinian civilians across the border into Egypt. However, the preparations on the Egyptian side of the border in the Sinai Peninsula suggested that Cairo is preparing for such a mass ejection, a scenario that could threaten a 1979 peace deal with Israel that's been a linchpin for regional security.
“The state of Israel has no intention of evacuating Palestinian civilians to Egypt,” Yoav Gallant told reporters. “We respect and value our peace agreement with Egypt, which is a cornerstone of stability in the region as well as an important partner.”
A report by the Israeli Intelligence Ministry, drafted six days after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw over 250 others taken hostage, included a proposal of moving Gaza’s civilian population to tent cities in the northern Sinai, then building permanent cities and an undefined humanitarian corridor.
As Israel is pushing ahead with its planned offensive into Rafah, the situation is increasingly desperate there. People lack adequate food, water, electricity and medical care, and they are under regular Israeli bombardment.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press, Agence France Presse
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