Egypt suspends security cooperation with Israel
Rafa military action by Israel has soured relations with Egypt, its neighbor. Egypt has cooperated on security procedures along its Gaza border for many years. When Israeli forces seized command of the Gaza side of the Rafa border crossing, Cairo, however, halted this collaboration. This action will have a big impact on the Gaza people as well as the nations. Notable is the Israeli forces’ shutdown of the Rafa crossing, the primary access point for supplies into Gaza. Given its closeness to Egypt, the Rafa bridge is particularly important even though Israel has opened other crossings farther north. Egypt and Israel share a 206 kilometer border, with the 12 km that border Gaza now causing dispute.
Israel has been depending on Egypt for many years to uphold security measures in Gaza and make necessary supplies easier to get. Signed following years of fighting, including three wars, the Camp David Accords are the source of this cooperation. With the Accords signed, the geopolitical landscape in the area changed and Egypt’s powerful military was no longer viewed as a threat. The Accords also shaped US policy by making Egypt a significant beneficiary of US foreign aid. But because of present hostilities, Israel and Egypt, its closest Middle Eastern ally, have suspended cooperation.
Israel is said by Egypt to have broken treaties by seizing control of the Rafa crossing, which is meant to stay demilitarized. In retaliation, Egypt declared that it will join South Africa’s International Court of Justice case against Israel for genocide. Israeli isolation abroad is increased by this action. Reports also indicate that Egypt would cut diplomatic relations with Israel, although it is wary to do so in order to avoid upsetting the US or risking a Palestinian inflow onto its soil. There are grounds to think that Israel and Egypt may work together again in the future despite the current circumstances.
Rafa is the last stronghold of Hamas, hence the ongoing battle there is vital to Israel. Tensions have grown since Hamas has been mostly supplied from the Rafa crossing. Affected by the crossing’s closure, Gaza’s economy has suffered and tensions between Egypt and Israel have increased. Although attempts are under progress to create other relief routes, difficulties arise from the absence of a clear strategy for post-conflict operations.
People are still leaving Rafa to get away from the fighting, making the situation there still unstable. Disagreements between Egypt and Israel have made progress slow even with international pressure to restore the Rafa border crossing for humanitarian supplies. The haziness around the crossing’s opening emphasises how urgently Gaza needs humanitarian aid.
