There will be no humanitarian corridor in Gaza so that the civilian population can escape the bombs and the imminent battle towards the only possible place, Egypt. This condemns more than two million Gazans to await death and, if no possible alternative is implemented, the entry of supplies to languish from hunger and thirst, not even being able to wash their hands.
The alleged broker was commented on – without providing any details about what and with whom he was negotiating – by the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in a press conference on Wednesday the 11th. On Monday the 9th, the Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht said that the Gazans should leave for Egypt through the Rafah Pass; The next day, Israel bombed the city three times in less than 24 hours, affecting the terminal, which closed. In any case, and although Colonel Hecht corrected his words by saying that he thought Rafah was open, the truth is that Israel has no authority over this border crossing.
There has been no information on the course of the aforementioned negotiation on the departure of refugees to Egypt. Yesterday, the Efe agency quoted a Hamas source who rejected it, stating that “opening a safe passage to force our people to abandon their homeland and suffer permanent death is not something that our people and our resistance agree with.” agreement".
As for Egypt, even if Hamas allowed exit, it has its reasons for closing access. In political terms, it does not want to risk a massive influx of refugees – which could very well occur, given the degree of devastation in which Gaza is being left – because in the long run it would mean denying the right of the Palestinians to their own territories, especially if Israel would end up directly controlling the Palestinian side of the border. Beyond this ideological argument, this idea is in line with an old fear of Gazans: that Israel intends to hand them all over to Egypt.
In practical terms, Egypt does not want a repeat of the 2008 Rafah fence blowing, when many Palestinians fled the Israeli blockade for Egyptian Rafah (those who had never been found it was no more prosperous than theirs). For the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi, the entry of refugees would be a source of instability, and it can always argue that with them – and the possible presence of radical Islamists – it risks an increase in terrorism in the never-pacified Sinai. .
The other option, entering humanitarian aid, would still be viable. But only in theory. In fact, on Tuesday the 10th, the passage of trucks towards Gaza was prevented by the Israeli bombardment. Israel, which is responsible for the protection of Gazan civilians under international law while the Strip remains occupied territory, has said it will not lift the blockade on humanitarian access until Hamas releases its hostages. This refusal can be read in the sense that an attempt to break the blockade by passing trucks would be responded to with another bombardment like the one on Tuesday.
As reported yesterday to the Reuters agency, Egypt has concentrated the arrival of cargo planes – from Qatar, Jordan... – at the airport of El Arish, the closest city in the Sinai, 45 kilometers away, and to whose hospitals they can be transferred. wounded from Gaza, in less atrocious conditions than today.
The Rafah crossing remained closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, but yesterday Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said it was open for humanitarian relief, but if there are no guarantees that Israel will not bomb, as Cairo has requested, there will be no such corridor and supplies will not leave El Arish.
Egyptian security sources said the United States has given assurances to both Egypt and Jordan that aid will reach Gaza. It must be remembered that the Egyptian intelligence services are traditionally responsible for mediating negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. There are many agreements between Israel and Hamas in which they have mediated (in particular, truces in each confrontation), also with the participation of Qatar. In the current crisis they face their most difficult role.
