Netanyahu Accuses Egypt Of Trapping Gazans Amid Escalating Dispute

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused Egypt on Friday of holding Gazans “against their will” as tensions between Jerusalem and Cairo intensify.

His comments follow Egyptian outrage after Netanyahu told the Abu Ali Express channel that Gazans seeking to leave through the Rafah Crossing are being blocked by Egypt.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry denounced Netanyahu’s remarks with “utmost condemnation,” calling them “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.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking Friday in Nicosia, declared, “Displacement is not an option and it is a red line for Egypt and we will not allow it to happen.”

“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 continued, repeating accusations that Israel is committing genocide—allegations Israel firmly rejects.

Egypt has reinforced troops along its border with Gaza as the IDF prepares for an offensive to seize Gaza City, fearing that large-scale evacuations from the north may prompt Palestinians to attempt crossing into the Sinai.

The Rafah border has been closed since Israel took control of the crossing. Following the October 7 Hamas massacre and outbreak of war, Egypt built a reinforced barrier along the frontier, consisting of a concrete wall that extends six meters underground, topped with barbed wire, alongside berms and expanded surveillance.