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Egypt Denies Reports about Israeli Military Operations on Its Border with Gaza

Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
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Egypt Denies Reports about Israeli Military Operations on Its Border with Gaza

Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)

Egypt denied on Saturday reports about an Israeli ground operation starting along the border through the Kerm Abu Salem crossing to the Philadelphia Axis between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Al Qahera News reported.
Earlier, Israeli media outlets reported tensions between Egypt and Israel, saying the Israeli army had launched operations near the Egyptian border.
The Israeli Walla news website said Israeli tanks have begun a ground operation from the Karm Abu Salem, in the southern Strip of Gaza, to the Rafah crossing along the axis of the so-called Philadelphia Route.
According to the Israeli report, Tel Aviv sought to avoid acting on this axis to prevent provoking the Egyptian side.
The expansion of Israeli military operations south of Gaza, especially on the Philadelphia axis is raising Egyptian concern.
It comes amid concerns that tension could rise between the two countries as Cairo fears a “forced displacement of Palestinians” towards the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri warned of the repercussions of any Israeli military action near the Egyptian border.
On his X account, the deputy wrote, “This is a dangerous development that portends dire consequences for the border region... Egypt’s borders are a red line.” He said the “Zionist actions” could cause a serious crisis.
Meanwhile, the General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza said on Saturday that Egypt has denied reports about military movements by the Israeli forces along the Egyptian-Palestinian borders.
It said, “Some media outlets are intentionally or unknowingly playing suspicious roles in the transmission of news and information. We ask them to adhere to the national line and the supreme interest of our people.”
The Israeli army continues its harsh military operations in Gaza.
The director general of the Gaza hospital said, “The Israeli occupation carries out massacres in the Gaza Strip,” reporting daily arrival of hundreds of martyrs and wounded to the hospital.
He told Al Qahera News, “We are experiencing a severe shortage of medical supplies... The occupation prevents aid trucks from reaching hospitals and residents.”
The director general then warned about the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip.
Until Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said 20,258 people have been killed and 53,688 people were injured in the Israeli attacks.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.