Egypt has denounced Israel’s plan to push displaced Palestinians into Gaza in the strongest terms yet, with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly yesterday raising the threat of hostilities if officials in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government try to push ahead with the plan. “We are prepared to sacrifice mns of lives to ensure that no one encroaches upon [Sinai],” the prime minister said in a speech in North Sinai yesterday, where he announced the government’s EGP-bns plan to develop the governorate.

A leaked Israeli plan has raised concerns in Cairo: The PM’s statement came a day after reports in the Israeli and Western press showed that the Israeli government had drawn up plans to resettle Gaza’s population in the Sinai — and that Netanyahu has been lobbying European leaders for support. Israel has displaced 1.4 mn civilians and driven 800k from the north to the south of the territory, and the fear in Cairo is that it will try to force them across the border with the blessing of some of its key Western backers. “We will not give up a single meter of Sinai land,” Madbouly said yesterday.

This is the strongest statement yet from an Egyptian official: Egyptian officials have been voicing their opposition against the forced displacement of Gazans since the war broke out. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has on several occasions publicly rejected the idea in front of visiting foreign officials, including during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when he mockingly told the Israelis to resettle them in the Negev.

Western officials are distancing themselves from the idea,the US more forcefully so, with a White House readout of a conversation between President Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah saying it is “critical” to avoid the forcible displacement of Palestinians. Both Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously voiced opposition to the idea. The EU is also looking to distance itself from claims in the Financial Times that some of its member states are on board, with the bloc’s Middle East peace envoy yesterday rejecting the idea in an interview with The National.

The state’s plans for North Sinai: The government plans to invest some EGP 363 bn in North Sinai over the coming five years as part of its efforts to develop the area, Madbouly said yesterday. The government is giving mixed signals about the timing of this announcement, with cabinet spokesman Sameh El Khashin saying last night that it has a direct correlation with the current push for Egypt to take in displaced Gazans (watch, runtime: 3:04), while Madbouly implied that the announcement was coincidental.

Medical treatment for some injured Palestinians: Officials here are expected to allow thousands of injured Palestinians to cross the border at Rafah and receive treatment in hospitals that have been set up in the Sinai, the Wall Street Journa l reported this morning, citing senior Egyptian officials. Gaza’s General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza said last night that 81 people will be received by Egyptian medics.

Some foreign nationals will be able to leave: Egypt will allow up to 400 foreigners stuck in Gaza to leave starting today, according to the WSJ. Egypt struck an agreement with Israel, the US, and Hamas to allow foreigners and severely injured Gazans to cross into Egypt, the newspaper reports.

FURY AS ISRAEL BOMBS REFUGEE CAMP-

As many as 120 dead in Israeli airstrike: Dozens of people have died when several Israeli airstrikes hit the densely-populated Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza yesterday. The number of people killed in the attack remains uncertain, with the Gaza Health Ministry putting the death toll at 50 and the number of injured at 150. The Indonesian Hospital provided a sharply higher figure, saying it had received 400 casualties, 120 of whom had died. At least six missiles were said to be dropped in the same area. Doctors Without Borders said it was “horrified” by the attack.

Who died is also disputed: The Israeli Defense Forces claimed to have killed a senior Hamas commander and a “large number of terrorists” in the attack, as well as destroying some of the group’s underground tunnels. Hamas denied the claim, saying that none of its leadership were in Jabalia during the attack.

Arab nations condemn the attack: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE all condemned in the strongest terms the attack on Jabalia, with Egypt calling it a “new flagrant violation of international law.” The Qatari Foreign Ministry warned that the expansion of Israeli attacks “would undermine mediation and de-escalation efforts.”

Some South American states are saying enough is enough: Bolivia became the first country to cut diplomatic ties with Israel yesterday over what it said were “crimes against humanity” being committed by the IDF. Meanwhile, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced he had recalled the country’s ambassador to Israel following the attack in Jabaliya.

The US has (slightly) hardened its tone: Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of taking “feasible precautions” to avoid harming civilians during a call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog last night, a State Department spokesperson said. Meanwhile, in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized “the urgency of protecting civilians … and conducting operations in accordance with the Law of War.”

Death toll rises: The attacks on Gaza have so far killed 8.5k, over 3.5k of which are children, according to figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry. The attacks have wounded 21.5k and left 2k bodies trapped under rubble since Israel started its ground invasion of Gaza after the Hamas attack on 7 October.

AID-

Aid deliveries to Gaza are increasing:The Palestinian Red Crescent last night received 59 trucks of humanitarian aid — the largest single day wave of aid so far — through the Rafah crossing, pushing the total number of trucks that crossed into Gaza since 7 October to 217.

Egypt is working on sending more aid: The head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, was in Cairo yesterday to discuss accelerating aid efforts with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. The US Middle East humanitarian envoy David Satterfield was in town a few days ago for similar talks. Egypt has accused Israel of obstructing the rapid delivery of aid to the besieged territory.

DIPLOMACY-

  • Norway calls into question the legitimacy of Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first European country to suggest that Israel’s assault is in breach of international humanitarian law.
  • The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are in constant contact (here and here), while the EU’s policy chief has held talks with all three in the past two days.
  • The US wants to keep Israeli-Saudi reconciliation alive.
  • Iran’s foreign minister is on another tour of the region, meeting with Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh and Qatar’s foreign minister in Doha yesterday and Turkey’s top diplomat in Ankara later today.
  • Russia has criticized Israeli strikes on Syria.
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