Israel’s Netanyahu Claims Egypt ‘Imprisoning’ Gazans, Cairo Condemns Remarks
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Egypt is “imprisoning against their will residents of Gaza.” Cairo has strongly condemned the remarks, describing them as part of his “ongoing attempts to prolong” the genocide in Gaza, and said it would not tolerate mass displacement of Palestinians.
Netanyahu claimed in an interview with the Abu Ali Express channel that he would allow Gazans to leave through the Rafah Crossing, but “they would be blocked by Egypt, saying that “the right to leave Gaza is a basic right for every Palestinian.”
Netanyahu also added: “I and US President Donald Trump agree on almost everything, I would even say on everything,” without giving further details.
Trump strongly supports Netanyahu’s forced displacement plans and has given him the green light to move forward.
In response, Egypt’s foreign ministry expressed its “utmost condemnation” of Netanyahu’s statement, and called it “part of his continuous attempts to prolong the period of escalation in the region and entrench instability to avoid confronting the consequences of Israeli violations in Gaza, both internally and externally.”
“Displacement is not an option and it is a red line for Egypt and we will not allow it to happen,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters earlier on Friday in Nicosia.
“Displacement means liquidation and the end of the Palestinian cause and there is no legal or moral or ethical ground to evict people from their homeland,” he said.
“What is happening on the ground is far beyond the imagination. There is a genocide in motion there, mass killing of civilians, artificial starvation created by the Israelis,” he added.
In response, Netanyahu’s office claimed that “the Egyptian Foreign Ministry prefers to imprison in Gaza residents who want to leave the war zone against their will.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about the free choice of every individual to decide where to live. This is a basic human right at all times and especially during wartime.”
The ongoing genocide in Gaza entered its 700th day on Friday, with Israel having killed at least 64,300 Palestinians. The Israeli assault has devastated the enclave, which is now facing famine as Israel continues to block aid from entering since March 2.
The Israeli occupation government consistently describes the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza as “voluntary immigration” or simply “leaving.” However, Palestinians and human rights organizations view these actions, also supported by President Trump, as forced displacement and ethnic cleansing. Under international law, forcibly relocating civilians constitutes a war crime.
