Evacuation of Gazans | Egypt does not open the border because it is afraid that the Gazans would not be able to return, says the researcher

of Egypt and the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip has become one of the focal points of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The Rafah border crossing is currently the only place through which Gazans can receive aid. It is also the only place where Gazans and foreigners left in Gaza could get out of the strip.

Consular Chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Jussi Tannerin there are still a few Finns in Gaza, who are being tried to get to the Egyptian side through the Rafah border crossing.

Egypt has promised to open the border for aid supplies, but has refused to create safe corridors for fleeing refugees. According to Egypt, the Rafah border crossing is not officially closed, but because of Israeli airstrikes, it cannot be used.

Israel has been bombarding Gaza with force since the extremist organization Hamas attacked Israel last Saturday. Hamas has said that around 3,000 people died in the bombing of Gaza.

Israel has demanded Gazans to evacuate to southern Gaza, but at the same time the country’s armed forces have carried out attacks on the southern city of Rafah and the border post.

Middle East the director of the institute by Susanne Dahlgren according to Egypt, in addition to practical reasons, there are political and ideological reasons for keeping the border closed to refugees.

According to Dahlgren, Egypt’s biggest concern is that the Gazans will be transferred to the Egyptian side at Israel’s request and will not be allowed back to their homes once the situation has calmed down.

Dahlgren believes that Israel now wants to find a permanent solution to the situation in Gaza. One possible option is to clear Gaza of Palestinians once and for all.

First of all, it would be a huge burden for Egypt to take care of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

The Egyptians could also never support the plan for the forced transfer of Gazans, says Dahlgren. Egypt strongly supports the two-state model, which would give the Palestinians an independent state.

Egypt has also very strongly expressed that the protection of Gaza’s civilians belongs to the occupier of Gaza, i.e. Israel.

Dahlgren’s according to the closing of the border against Gaza, Egypt’s own security concerns are also related.

A local branch of the extremist Islamic Isis movement has spread to the Sinai Peninsula, and the peninsula has only been loosely held by the Egyptian administration.

With the opening of the borders, members of Hamas could also move to the Egyptian side, which could weaken the security situation in Egypt.

of Egypt with the president With Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also has its own domestic politics concerns regarding Hamas.

Hamas emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s. Al-Sisi, on the other hand, came to power in the 2010s by crushing the brotherhood that had ruled Egypt after the Arab Spring uprising.

According to Dahlgren, al-Sisi is now trying to balance the country’s internal politics and avoid the fact that the Egyptian people, who sympathize with the Palestinian situation, take to the streets.

Egypt’s central role in the situation is indicated by the fact that al-Sisi met with the US Secretary of State on Sunday by Antony Blinken. Later this week, he is scheduled to meet the German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the President of the United States Joe Biden.

in Egypt has historically played an important mediating role in the conflicts between Hamas and Israel.

Dahlgren describes the relations between Israel and Egypt as practical.

With the Camp David peace signed in 1978, Israel returned the occupied Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Egypt, on the other hand, recognized the state of Israel.

For a long time, the countries have cooperated in defense, among other things, and the countries have had a common interest in fighting Hamas, Dahlgren describes.

Israel has carried out attacks against extremist Islamists in the Sinai, and Egypt has sought to destroy the tunnel networks built by Hamas from Gaza to Sinai.

At the same time, Egypt has tried to maintain some kind of dialogue with Hamas, says Dahlgren.

According to him, the situation has now gotten so badly out of control that Egypt is no longer a mediator in the conflict.

“Iran, Qatar and Turkey still have some leverage over Hamas. They could potentially negotiate a ceasefire when the time comes,” says Dahlgren.