{"id":608164,"date":"2023-10-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2023\/10\/16\/could-some-aid-enter-gaza-today-plus-blinken-says-expelling-gazans-into-sinai-is-a-non-starter\/"},"modified":"2023-10-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T00:00:00","slug":"could-some-aid-enter-gaza-today-plus-blinken-says-expelling-gazans-into-sinai-is-a-non-starter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2023\/10\/16\/could-some-aid-enter-gaza-today-plus-blinken-says-expelling-gazans-into-sinai-is-a-non-starter\/","title":{"rendered":"Could some aid enter Gaza today? Plus: Blinken says expelling Gazans into Sinai is a \u201cnon-starter.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Could humanitarian aid be allowed into Gaza today?<\/strong> The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will open today for foreign nationals and humanitarian aid, NBC News<\/a> reported yesterday following high-stakes talks in Cairo. A Palestinian official told the American broadcaster that from 9am CLT today, foreign nationals will be able to leave the enclave into Egypt and vital humanitarian aid will be allowed in. A separate bulletin from Asharq Business<\/a> reported the same information, citing unnamed sources. <\/p>\n

Maybe? <\/strong>The Egyptian government is yet to comment publicly on the report and there\u2019s been no word yet from the Israelis that they won\u2019t strike aid convoys rolling in. Egypt over the weekend refused to open the border for foreigners looking to leave Gaza, saying behind closed doors that it would only do so if aid were allowed into the strip.<\/p>\n

Border discussed at Cairo talks between El Sisi, Blinken:<\/strong> US Secretary of State Antony Blinken telegraphed the opening of the border yesterday in comments to reporters<\/a> following a \u201cvery good\u201d conversation with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Cairo. \u201cRafah will be reopened. We\u2019re putting in place with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others, a mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to people who need it,\u201d he said. The two agreed on the need to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and prevent civilian deaths, according to a US readout<\/a> of the conversation. Ittihadiya\u2019s release after the meeting was brief and said only that the two \u201clong standing strategic partners\u201d discussed \u201cmilitary escalation\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Israel has \u201cover-extended the right to <\/strong>self-defense and turned into collective punishment for 2.3 mn people in Gaza,\u201d<\/strong> El Sisi told Blinken in public comments before their meeting (watch, runtime: 11:12<\/a>). El Sisi said that Egypt \u201cunequivocally\u201d condemns the massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas but said that at the root of the crisis is \u201caccumulated fury and hatred\u201d caused by the occupation. An earlier meeting of the National Security Council had discussed the need for an end to civilian deaths and the provision of aid, and expressed support for the two state solution, Ittihadiya<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

The Biden administration won\u2019t push for Gaza evacuation:<\/strong> The US will not back calls from Israel to resettle thousands of Gazans in Egypt, Blinken said in an interview with Al Arabiya<\/a>. Blinken has been on a whistle-stop tour of Arab capitals over the past week for talks with regional leaders, most of whom have publicly condemned plans to force Palestinians out of Gaza. \u201cI\u2019ve heard directly from Palestinian Authority President [Mahmoud] Abbas and from virtually every other leader that I\u2019ve talked to in the region, that that idea is a nonstarter, and so we do not support it,\u201d he told the Saudi broadcaster. <\/p>\n

But the pressure is still there:<\/strong>Qatari and Israeli officials have been in Cairo in recent days to push for Palestinians to be allowed into the country, while a number of European leaders have spoken with El Sisi on the subject, according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the US, threatened<\/a> that Egypt \u201cwill have to play ball\u201d with the plans if it wants to avert a humanitarian disaster.<\/p>\n

MPs condemn Gaza assault:<\/strong> A large number of Egyptian MPs delivered speeches in the House yesterday condemning Israeli aggression and rejecting the displacement of Palestinians. House Speaker Hanafi Gebaly accused Israel of breaching international law, and warned that its actions could trigger a wider conflict in the region.<\/p>\n

NO GROUND INVASION YET-<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Israeli military is yet to start its anticipated ground invasion <\/strong>of Gaza. <\/strong>Amid the continued build-up of troops around the territory, analysts are warning of the potential risks of a full-scale invasion, from the difficulty of defeating Hamas in close-quarters urban combat to the likelihood of a wider conflict with Hezbollah and Palestinian fighters in Lebanon. In an interview<\/a> yesterday, President Biden endorsed a decision to defeat Hamas but warned that an attempt to reoccupy the territory would be a \u201cbig mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the rhetoric is ugly:<\/strong> In the past few days Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops<\/a> that the IDF will \u201celiminate everything\u201d in Gaza, the Israeli president suggested<\/a> that all Gaza\u2019s civilians are legitimate targets, and the country\u2019s cabinet minister indicated<\/a> that it will seize Palestinian land. \u201cWhoever starts a war against Israel must lose territory,\u201d Gideon Sa\u2019ar said in an interview. Gaza \u201cmust be smaller at the end of the war.\u201d<\/p>\n

An \u201cunprecedented human catastrophe\u201d is taking place in Gaza<\/strong> a week into Israel\u2019s siege, the head of the UN\u2019s Palestinian refugee agency, Philippe Lazzarini, said<\/a> yesterday, warning that his colleagues are no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance. Thousands of people are without shelter, with an estimated 1 mn people displaced by the conflict, more than 600k<\/a> of whom have fled Gaza City since Friday.<\/p>\n

The death toll is climbing rapidly:<\/strong> Almost 2.7k people in Gaza have been killed in Israel\u2019s bombing campaign and another 9.6k wounded, according to the latest figures<\/a> from the Palestinian health ministry. This is up from just over 2.2k<\/a> the day before. About 1.3k Israelis died and more than 3k were wounded in Hamas\u2019 attack on 7 October. The Israeli military said yesterday<\/a> that it had confirmed that Hamas was holding 155 people hostage, an increase from its previous 126 estimate.<\/p>\n

DIPLOMACY-<\/strong><\/p>\n