Egypt's Sisi rejects Palestinian displacement in Abbas meeting

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated on Wednesday his country’s rejection of any plan to displace Palestinians, hours after the ‘Israeli’ military said it was prepared to “eliminate Hamas” and carry out a “migration plan” in Gaza.

El-Sisi, while receiving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo, reaffirmed “Egypt’s firm position rejecting the displacement of the Palestinian people or attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

The statement said Egypt is continuing its efforts to ensure the implementation of the agreement to halt the war in Gaza reached last October, as well as “the commitment of all parties to the provisions of the agreement, including halting escalation, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid and creating conditions for a recovery phase.”

Egypt shares a land border with the Gaza Strip and has repeatedly rejected displacement proposals since the war began in 2023.

Earlier on Wednesday, ‘Israeli’ Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military was prepared to “eliminate Hamas” and “implement the migration plan” in the Gaza Strip, home to two million Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Abbas warned against “separating the Gaza Strip from the occupied West Bank” and “separating the northern West Bank from its south,” according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced within the territory, much of which has been destroyed following the war, which has killed more than 73,700 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The United Nations considers the ministry’s casualty figures reliable.

Although the ceasefire in effect for 11 months has reduced the intensity of the violence, ‘Israel’ continues to carry out regular strikes in Gaza.

Violence has also increased in the West Bank, which ‘Israel’ has occupied since 1967, since the war began, with a further escalation in recent weeks.