Egyptian chief of military staff Ahmed Fathy Khalifa arrived at the Egyptian border with Gaza and the Rafah border crossing on a surprise visit on Thursday. "He is visiting to examine the security situation and the measures along the border," the military said in a statement.
The visit began with a meeting of the forces responsible for securing the Rafah border crossing. The chief of staff emphasized that the main mission of these forces is to "secure the nation's borders in all strategic directions." Egyptian television showed Khalifa speaking with soldiers and even staying to eat with them.
A senior official in Cairo was quoted on the same channel as calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statements on the need to maintain Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor, unrealistic. "He is trying to shift the blame to other nations for his failure to achieve his objectives in Gaza." The source said, "The past few months have proven that Netanyahu does not care about bringing back the Israeli hostages alive, as long as it conflicts with his personal goals and interests."
Egypt has consistently maintained since the start of the war that it controls its borders and opposes any Israeli presence along the corridor or at the Rafah border crossing. Cairo views any Israeli presence in the area as a violation of the Camp David Accords and the 1979 peace agreement between the two countries.
The visit appears to be another demonstration of Egypt's control over the area, alongside recent harsh rhetoric against Israel and Netanyahu. Lebanon's Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is aligned with Hezbollah, claimed this morning that Egypt's statements against Netanyahu, published a day earlier, were the harshest so far.
3 View gallery
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Reuters, IDF Spokesperson's Unit, AFP)
They coincide with a gradual diplomatic escalation, coordinated by Egyptian intelligence and the Foreign Ministry. An example of these statements came from a senior Egyptian official yesterday, who told the Al-Qahera Al-Akhbariya channel that Netanyahu’s remarks about the Philadelphi Corridor were "a message to Washington" indicating his refusal of any proposed deal, thus "sabotaging efforts for a truce and the release of hostages and prisoners."
The official added, "The Israeli prime minister is spreading lies to cover up his failure in Gaza. Through his claims about arms smuggling from Egypt, Netanyahu is paving the way to declare his security and political failures—failing to locate the hostages and achieving no victory in Gaza or the West Bank. All sides are dissatisfied with his continued failure to reach a ceasefire agreement."