Egypt Pledges ‘Decisive Response’ to Confront Palestinian Displacement

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks before parliament. (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks before parliament. (Egyptian government)
TT
20

Egypt Pledges ‘Decisive Response’ to Confront Palestinian Displacement

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks before parliament. (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks before parliament. (Egyptian government)

Egypt is committed to safeguarding its national security and considers any attempt to displace Palestinians forcibly an infringement upon its sovereignty, asserted Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Tuesday.

Madbouly pledged that Egypt would not hesitate to use all measures to safeguard its borders in the event of any scenario regarding the displacement of Palestinians into Egyptian territories.

Madbouly was speaking during a parliamentary general session in response to 16 interpellation requests submitted by lawmakers regarding Egypt’s efforts to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

He reiterated that Egypt has never closed the Rafah border crossing “even for a moment,” he said, dismissing such reports as “part of fourth-generation warfare, targeting, and undermining Egypt.”

The Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side was struck by Israel several times to prevent the evacuation of the wounded and the entry of aid, said Madbouly.

The PM also affirmed that Egypt is committed to safeguarding its national security, warning that Israeli policies will have dire regional and global consequences.

Madbouly said calls for “forced displacement” aim to “liquidate the Palestinian cause,” explaining that Egypt has so far received nine million refugees from different nationalities.

However, he added: “Allowing the entry of two million Palestinians under the current conditions would mean the permanent liquidation of the Palestinian issue, which Egypt will not accept under any circumstances.”

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza last month, Egypt has “repeatedly” affirmed its rejection of the “forced displacement” of Palestinians.

Head of the National Unionist Party MP Atef Maghawry told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Prime Minister’s remarks carry several vital messages, most notably Egypt’s right to secure its borders and defend its national security.

Speaker Hanafi Jebali stressed the parliament’s categorical rejection of coercing the Palestinians into internal displacement or forcibly displacing them outside their lands, specifically towards Egyptian territories in Sinai.

Former Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Orabi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the PM’s remarks carried “important diplomatic messages.”

He reiterated Cairo’s firm position in support of the Palestinian people, but stressed that Egypt has the right to secure its borders and defend its national security.



Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
TT
20

Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

At least eight Palestinians, most of them children, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, local officials said.

The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall "dozens of meters from the target".

"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians," it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review.

The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital.

Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centers where they can fill up their plastic containers.

Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, Palestinian media reported. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.

Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that more than 58,000 people had been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, with 139 people added to the death toll over the past 24 hours.

Negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire appeared to be deadlocked, with the two sides divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources said at the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene ministers late on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the talks, an Israeli official said.

The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are being held in Doha, but optimism that surfaced last week of a looming deal has largely faded, with both sides accusing each other of intransigence.

Netanyahu in a video he posted on Telegram on Sunday said Israel would not back down from its core demands - releasing all the hostages still in Gaza, destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.