Despite my open opposition at times to the Egyptian government’s economic policies and my criticism of the suppression of freedoms and the restriction of the public sphere, I do not confuse a firm national principle with mistakes I may see in the country’s internal governance.
Egypt’s stance on the Palestinian issue—chief among them, the rejection of the mass displacement of Palestinians to Sinai—is a position to be commended, not condemned. It deserves support from every Egyptian.
In recent weeks, I’ve observed a systematic escalation that seems calculated to create a false impression that Egypt is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, holding it responsible for a humanitarian catastrophe caused by aggression and occupation.
Footage is repeatedly circulated showing aid trucks waiting—without mentioning the obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation at the crossings. A narrative is spreading that flips reality, turning the gatekeeper into the accused, and the victim into the perpetrator.
This shameful distortion of facts not only falsifies reality but also plants seeds of hostility between the Palestinian and Egyptian peoples—people united by a common cause, one that Egyptians have always stood at the forefront of defending.
Egypt Is Not a Gateway for Displacement
Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, Egypt has been under undeclared international pressure and received politically packaged diplomatic offers urging it to open the door for civilians to leave Gaza under the pretext of “humanitarian evacuation.” But what’s truly intended is the emptying of Gaza of its population, forcibly pushing Palestinians into a new exile—this time in Sinai.
This is the most dangerous scenario of all. It would effectively destroy any hope of establishing a Palestinian state and would shift the issue from a struggle over occupied land to a refugee problem, with neighboring countries expected to absorb them.
Egypt’s rejection of this scenario is not just a matter of sovereignty—it’s a principled position that preserves the core of the Palestinian cause. If Palestinians are pushed out of Gaza, the right of return is permanently closed, and Israel gains the perfect excuse: “We didn’t expel anyone—they left voluntarily.”
When Support Turns into Defamation
No one denies the suffering of the people in Gaza. Egyptians feel this pain as deeply as Palestinians do. Egypt has opened its hospitals to the wounded, welcomed many humanitarian cases, and used all of its political and humanitarian tools to stop the bloodshed.
But turning this support into an open-ended obligation or a tool of emotional blackmail serves only the enemies of the cause.
It’s unfortunate that some media platforms—and even certain Palestinian figures aligned with radical movements—have begun directing accusations toward Egypt, unfairly claiming it is “complicit in the siege.” They ignore the fact that the main crossings between Gaza and the world are not controlled by Egypt, but by Israel.
We now see protests in front of Egyptian embassies in some European countries attacking Egypt as if it were the cause of the tragedy.
Protecting National Security Is Not Betrayal
Some speak as if Egypt is obligated to open its borders without restriction, forgetting that no responsible state would allow its borders to collapse. Uncontrolled infiltration, armed groups, and ideologically driven factions like Hamas and Islamic Jihad operating inside Egyptian territory pose an existential threat—especially to Sinai, for whose stability Egypt paid a heavy price after years of terrorism.
Egypt’s rejection of displacement does not mean abandonment of Gaza. On the contrary—it is a defense of the Palestinians’ right to remain on their land and a show of support for their struggle for independence.
Opening the gates to mass flight would be a quiet surrender of the cause, with consequences that would linger for decades.
Awareness Is Not a Media Commodity
It’s easy to mislead people with images, live streams, and emotional headlines. But building true awareness requires honesty and balance. It’s unfair to portray Egypt—the only country that maintained a humanitarian passage into Gaza—as the accused, while public discourse ignores Israel’s role in blocking or even bombing aid trucks once they enter.
Between February and May 2024, the United Nations warned of “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” if one million Palestinians were displaced toward Egypt, stressing that it would not be part of any unilateral plan to push civilians into so-called “safe zones.” The head of the UN Refugee Agency stated that Palestinians are being driven into a “narrow, burning corner.”
In November 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that Egypt’s role had been pivotal in ensuring humanitarian aid delivery and evacuating critical medical cases through the Rafah crossing, despite complex Israeli controls.
There is a clear gap between media narratives and operational realities. Although some reports show trucks waiting at Rafah, they often fail to explain that delays are primarily due to Israeli restrictions and internal security negotiations, not Egypt closing its gates.
While media propaganda claims “Egypt is blocking aid,” official data show otherwise: Egyptian crossings are open, aid trucks are moving within legal frameworks, and most delays are caused by Israeli obstruction—not Cairo.
Reliable UN data confirmed that up to 83% of delayed or withheld aid prior to May 2024 was due to Israeli procedures—proving that Egypt is not the main obstacle.
The European Union and the United Nations have documented Egypt’s role as an effective humanitarian corridor, not a barrier.
Field data—from truck movements to food shortage reports—clearly indicate that the true impediment to aid delivery lies not with those who resist displacement or closure, but with those who systematically delay thousands of trucks.
When media narratives omit this context, they falsely cast Egypt as the obstacle, even though international organizations and indicators suggest the opposite.
Lifting the threat at Rafah requires pressure on Israel, not blaming Egypt.
A Final Word
I repeat: Egypt’s rejection of displacement is not a policy of closure. It is a defense of the Palestinian cause from erasure.
Rafah remains the only remaining gateway for Palestinians, and despite pressure and false accusations, Egypt—according to UN and EU reports—has been the guardian who opened a path in the storm, not the one who shut it down.
Egypt has supported Palestinian reconciliation, hosted factions, and facilitated ceasefire talks—not out of a desire for influence or showmanship, but out of a deep understanding of its historic role and an unbreakable commitment to a shared destiny.
Palestine is a uniquely Egyptian wound.
Final Thought
Egypt is not Palestine’s adversary, but its final pillar of support.
Do not let the pain of the moment destroy the collective spirit between two peoples that even wars could not divide—should we now let illusions do so?
