CAIRO – Palestinians in Gaza should not be displaced to Egypt or some other country, United States President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart said.

Mr Biden spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the two reaffirmed their “commitment to work together and discussed the importance of protecting civilian lives, respect for international humanitarian law and ensuring that Palestinians in Gaza are not displaced to Egypt or any other nation”, according to Mr Biden’s post on X, formerly Twitter.

Mr Sisi, whose country offers the only non-Israeli border crossing with Gaza, has repeatedly rejected the idea that Gaza’s Palestinians be allowed to cross – even temporarily – into the Sinai Peninsula.

Israel is driving deeper into Gaza in an offensive that has forced many residents to flee their homes. The operation has also drawn broad condemnation in the region. 

Other Arab countries and international organisations have also rejected the possibility of a relocation, putting the emphasis instead on how to reach a lasting peace built around a two-state solution. 

Egypt “has not and will not allow the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egyptian territories”, Mr Sisi said in a statement released on Sunday by the presidency. 

While the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates, his country has emerged as a key player in trying to end the fighting between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist organisation. 

A minuscule fraction of the aid necessary to sustain the 2.3 million residents of Gaza is reaching them through the Rafah border crossing.

Egypt has blamed Israel for impeding its entry, with the United Nations and other organisations warning of the growing humanitarian disaster in the territory as a result of Israel’s siege.

On Oct 24, the UN estimated that over 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced.

BLOOMBERG