Israel's invasion of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing dominated the airwaves last night, with the nation’s talking heads discussing the developments on the ground and whether Israel’s attacks constitute a violation of the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

Israel violated its terms of cooperation with Egypt when it attacked and closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing, international law professor at Cairo University Mofeed Shehab said in a phone call with Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime: 10:31). Along with the closure of the Rafah crossing, the move effectively sealed off the main entry points for aid into Gaza, Shehab said. Israel used force and threatened Egypt and the region at large in actions that violate international law, he added.

How should Egypt react? “Legally, I cannot say that there has been a violation of the peace treaty” that would allow Egypt to take a definitive stance, “but Egypt has condemned the entire Israeli position since 7 October,” Shehab said. If Israel’s assault pushes Palestinians across the border, it would be “a direct infringement on Egyptian sovereignty and not merely a threat, which I'm confident Egypt would not accept,” he added.

A worrying escalation, but not a violation of the peace treaty: Israel’s occupation of the Rafah crossing is not a violation of its peace treaty with Egypt because the Rafah crossing lies outside the Philadelphi Corridor and is far from the Egyptian border, Brigadier General Mahmoud Mohieldin told Kelma Akhira’s Lamis El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 4:43).

Israel’s operation in Rafah is aimed at pressuring Palestinian negotiators to cede to Israeli demands, Mohieddin said. He believes Israel will not expand its military operation in Rafah and will succumb to Egyptian and American pressures. The Israeli army is focused on the northern front and is aware that pushing into Rafah would be a waste of resources, he explained.

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