Some Cairenes took to the streets outside the Al Azhar mosque in solidarity with the Palestinians after Friday prayers on 13 October. Now in the latest round of fighting in Gaza, Egyptian officials say Israel is trying to drag their country into the fray again. As the Israeli government tightened its siege, cutting off water and power, its military spokesman advised Palestinians to leave Gaza through its border with Egypt. This echoed calls by far-right Israeli politicians to resettle Palestinians in Gaza across the border in the arid Sinai Peninsula. Should this latest war be confined to a fight in Gaza between Hamas and the Israel Defence Force, then Egypt could still be brought in to mediate a ceasefire.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 16, 2023 09:28 UTC