Egypt is increasing its military presence at the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, concerned that Israel wants to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees across the border into the Sinai Desert.

Cairo says forcing so many Palestinians from their homes is a violation of international law, a national security risk for Egypt and could destroy the country's struggling economy. Stated. The Palestinians themselves and other Arab countries fear that the refugees will never be able to return to their homes.

Israeli diplomats deny the goal is to expel Palestinians from Gaza during the fight against Hamas, but Defense Minister Yoav Galan said the plan was to "eliminate everything". Ta. Another minister, Gideon Saar, said Gaza "has to be smaller when the war is over."

Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, said Egypt should accept people temporarily. “Just on the other side of Gaza, in the Sinai Desert, there is a vast expanse of almost endless desert,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday discussed the possibility of Israel forcing Palestinians to cross the border with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is making his second visit to Riyadh as part of the crisis round of shuttle diplomacy. Ta. Blinken is expected to arrive in Cairo late Sunday.

All Arab countries oppose the move, warning that it could lead to regional war. However, if displacement occurs, it may be necessary to finance the establishment of refugee camps. Most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had relatives expelled in 1948 and fear another mass expulsion could be the death knell for their aspirations for a Palestinian state.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday that Palestinians in Gaza "must remain resolute in their land."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he fully agrees with Egypt. "We reiterate our call for Israel to abide by international law. We oppose the expulsion of Palestinians," he said in a speech in Cairo. We will never condone a policy of deportation to Egypt. ”

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also stressed in a meeting with his German counterpart Annalena Barbok on Saturday that his country would support foreign nationals stranded in the Gaza Strip, including Americans trapped at Rafah Gate. . Unless Israel allows aid convoys to enter the Gaza Strip, it will not allow people to leave the Strip. Refusal is one of the few negotiating tools at Sisi's disposal.