Egypt works for calm in Gaza but braces for backlash

Egypt is intensifying its contacts to see if it can help calm the escalating violence between Israel and factions in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, following major attacks on 7 October.

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Egypt makes contacts to broker a cessation of hostilities between Gaza and Israel, amid fears of spillover effects of the war.

Egypt works for calm in Gaza but braces for backlash

Amr Emam

last update on 09 Oct 2023

Egypt is stepping up efforts to bring an end to the escalating violence between Israel and militant factions in Gaza following an unprecedented and surprise Hamas offensive on Israel on 7 October that killed hundreds of Israelis.

Since the weekend, Israel has violently bombarded Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinians in 'retaliation'.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held a series of talks over the phone with several international officials in the past few hours, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, who called for an immediate suspension of attacks from Gaza on Israel.

A few hours earlier, the Egyptian foreign ministry had issued a statement calling for both sides to exercise self-restraint and prevent tensions from escalating.

Calling on Israel to refrain from what it described as 'provocative actions', the Egyptian foreign ministry also warned that an escalation could negatively impact future peace-making efforts between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

MAHMUD HAMS / AFP — A plume of smoke rises in the sky of Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9, 2023.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who recently announced his intention to run for president for a third time, has ramped up his efforts to end hostilities.

On 8 October, he discussed the escalating situation with King Abdullah II of Jordan over the phone. Both leaders called for concerted regional and international efforts to stop the violence and bloodshed between the two sides.

El-Sisi also held talks with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron.

El-Sisi has spoken with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, King Abdullah of Jordan, while his foreign minister has spoken with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Fallout

Egypt, which shares a 12-kilometre border with Gaza and a 245-kilometre border with Israel, has sent dozens of ambulances and medical teams to its border with Gaza.

Injured Palestinians are expected to rush to the border with Sinai to seek medical treatment, especially amid an intensification of bombardment in the past 48 hours. Since then, Gaza's hospitals have been overwhelmed trying to treat those injured.

Egypt was directly drawn into the conflict early on 8 October when a policeman shot at a group of Israeli tourists in the northern Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria, killing two Israelis and one Egyptian.

AFP — Egyptian police cordon off the site where a a policeman killed two Israeli tourists and one Egyptian in Alexandria on October 8, 2023.

The policeman, whose rank has not been disclosed until now, had been tasked with guarding the group of tourists.

Egyptian authorities are interrogating him and are expected to apologise to Israel officially.

The shooting of Israeli tourists might deal a blow to Egypt's tourism sector, which helps bring much-needed foreign currency into the country. Egypt's economy has been desperately trying to recover from the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The shooting of Israeli tourists might deal a blow to Egypt's tourism sector, which helps bring much-needed foreign currency into the country.

Gamal Bayoumi, a former assistant to the Egyptian foreign minister, told Al Majalla that killing Israeli tourists could hurt Egypt's efforts to mediate the conflict.

"Nonetheless, Egypt will push forward with its mediation as it is desperately needed at this crucial juncture," he added.

Egypt has long played the role of mediator between Palestinians and Israelis, with many successes in restoring calm under its belt.

Egyptian mediation efforts will most likely focus on ensuring the safety of Israeli hostages in Gaza and securing the release of these hostages, in an expected swap with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Tough mission

The view in Cairo is that mediation efforts this time will not be as easy as in previous confrontations between Gaza and Israel.

The magnitude of the 7 October attacks by Gaza's factions on southern Israel and Israeli human losses may close the door in the face of countries that want to bring about calm, like Egypt.

So far, 600 Israelis have been killed in the attacks, and the number is rising, given the critical condition of some injured. Over 50 Israelis, including army soldiers and officers, were also taken hostage by the members of Gaza's factions.

"There will likely be an escalation of violence, especially against civilians on both sides," he added.

Reuters — Relatives react as they attend the funeral of Palestinians from the Shamalkh family, who health officials said were killed in Israeli strikes, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023.

At the time of writing, at least 700 Palestinians have been killed, but the number is likely to rise as the relentless bombing campaign continues.

Security risks

The shooting of the two Israeli tourists in Alexandria offers insights into security risks for Egypt from the eruption of a new war between the Palestinians of Gaza and the Israelis.

Egypt has recently declared the Sinai free from terrorism after defeating the Islamic State (IS) there. However, the breakout of war between Gaza and Israel threatens to reverse this monumental achievement.

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency on July 4, 2015, shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) shaking hands with a security forces member during a visit to the Sinai Peninsula.

Counter-terrorism operations in Sinai, which lasted for almost a decade, cost Egypt dearly — both financially and in human loss of life.

The fear in Cairo is that growing tensions along the border with Sinai would empower Islamist extremists in this area.

Some of these extremists might be encouraged into staging attacks, either on tourist facilities in Sinai, including in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, or launching cross-border attacks, which might cause tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

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