Egypt has plans in place if Gazans are pressured toward border: Prime minister

CAIRO – 17 September 2025: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly confirmed that the Egyptian state has developed a range of plans in the event that Palestinians are pushed toward the Egyptian border.

Speaking to the press, Madbouly emphasized Egypt’s unwavering stance against allowing the displacement of Palestinians from their land.

He also reiterated the country's firm opposition to any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile, the state is actively working to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people through coordinated emergency plans involving multiple Egyptian agencies and institutions, the prime minister added.

Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza, launching a ground invasion of Gaza City, home to nearly half of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents, despite international condemnation.

Israeli forces have flattened buildings, killed scores of Palestinians, and ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate southward to a so-called "safe zone" in Al-Mawasi, closer to the Egyptian border.

'Weaponizing Famine'

In an effort to pressure civilians to leave, the Israeli army announced in late August that it would end tactical pauses in Gaza City, halting brief ceasefires that had previously allowed limited aid deliveries into the famine-stricken area.

A report published in August by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially confirmed famine in Gaza City, home to nearly half of the enclave’s 2.2 million people, and surrounding areas for the first time.

The analysis found that over 500,000 people are currently trapped in famine conditions, and projected that by the end of September, famine could spread across the entire enclave.

It further warned that by June 2026, more than 100,000 children under the age of five will be at risk of death due to acute malnutrition.

'Historical Injustice'

Since the war erupted in October 2023, Egypt has repeatedly rejected US-Israeli schemes to displace Palestinians from Gaza toward the Egyptian territory.

In his address to the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit held in Doha on Monday, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi denounced proposals to displace Palestinians from their land, warning that they have no legal or moral foundation and will only expand the scope of the conflict and destabilize the entire region.

Egypt reaffirmed in August that it will not participate in the displacement of Palestinians, viewing it as "a historical injustice that has no moral or legal justification" and will lead to "the liquidation of the Palestinian cause."

Israel recently circulated a widely-condemned proposal to facilitate the departure of Gaza residents from the besieged territory starting in October.

The initiative, framed as “voluntary emigration,” was the focus of a high-level Israeli security and cabinet meeting held last week, the office of one of the attendees told The Times of Israel.

The plan envisions enabling Gazans to exit the coastal enclave by air and sea beginning in October, according to Israeli media reports.

Israel is reportedly in preliminary contact with several African nations that may be willing to receive the displaced population.

However, Netanyahu, during the meeting, reportedly dismissed a suggestion from Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel that Israel should pressure Egypt to accept Palestinians from Gaza.

Netanyahu is said to have replied tersely, “You try.”