Egypt and its important role in the Gaza Strip

Egypt is a key country in the aid to Gaza

Egypt is a fundamental pillar in the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of 365 square kilometres and is home to almost two million Palestinians. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's role and exercise of diplomacy was key in the conflict between Israel and the Islamic militia Hamas last year, bringing about a ceasefire through a 'bilateral truce' with Hamas, 'without conditions', after days of numerous offensives in which 13 Israelis and 250 Palestinians were killed. Following the negotiation, Cairo pledged $500 million for the reconstruction of all shattered areas of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas came to power in 2006 after winning elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council. Soon, tensions began with the other Palestinian faction, Fatah, and the two factions began a military confrontation in 2007, with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip, while Fatah seized power in autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Thus, since the expulsion of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and his internationally recognised loyalist forces, Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip, which led to the imposition of a blockade by Israel and Egypt in the same period. 

Years ago, in 2012, with the coming to power of the Islamist Mohamed Morsi in the Egyptian government, with the help of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group, they eased the blockade imposed on the Strip and negotiated a brief war in Gaza. In addition, the Morsi government showed some sympathy towards the Hamas terrorist group. The following year, the Islamist government was overthrown in a coup d'état by the Egyptian army and its leader, Al-Sisi, who also led the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organisation banned in the country.

Egypt's new leader, Al-Sisi, took a tough stance against Hamas from the outset, ordering the destruction of a network of smuggling tunnels that had sustained Gaza's economy. Despite this, Cairo and Hamas began a series of rapprochements, which were strengthened by the visit of Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to Hamas leader Yahia Sinwar, a visit made public by leaked photos. "The overall logic governing the domestic and foreign policy of Egypt's leadership is to ensure governmental sustainability. The relationship with Hamas is just one example," said Bahey eldin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

Likewise, relations between Hamas and the Fatah party, led by Abbas, flared up again last year following the cancellation of the first elections to be held in more than 15 years. Attempts at reconciliation have been made on several occasions, many of them negotiated by Cairo, but have proved unsuccessful. "Egypt wants understandings or even pressure on Hamas so that the situation does not explode," said Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst.

Egypt currently has some influence over Hamas because of the aid it sends. Egypt also has control over the Rafah area, the only border crossing in Gaza that is not under Israeli control. Thus, the African country continues to be present in the Gaza Strip, indeed, in recent months its role has intensified. Its presence in the area has only recently become public, the nation has been engaged in dialogue activities in the deepest silence for years between Israel and Hamas to maintain peace between the two sides, as well as to seek reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions.

Egypt and Israel, after four wars, numerous clashes and years of no official contact, are destined to come to an understanding. Last year, in the aftermath of conflicts in the Strip, the Egyptian president and Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett met, as the point of friction between the two states is the Palestinian question. During the meeting, one of the main topics was the Gaza conflict, the Sinai Peninsula was very clear from the outset about its position, 'the president affirmed Egypt's support for all efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution and resolutions of international legitimacy, which contributes to improving the security and prosperity of all peoples in the region'. Cairo's role was crucial in achieving the long-awaited truce.

The 2021 Gaza Strip-Israel conflict lasted 11 days, during those days the offensive "allowed Egypt to once again market itself as an indispensable security partner for Israel in the region, which it is, which in turn makes it an indispensable security partner for the United States," said Hafsa Halawa, an expert at the Middle East Institute. "Gaza is a reminder to everyone, in effect, that you can't really do anything without Egypt," he said.

The Palestinian-administered city of Rafah and its border crossing, which links Egypt's Sinai Peninsula with Palestinian territory, was the only transit crossing that was permanently open, exceptionally, as the bombardment increased. Through the crossing, Cairo was able to send humanitarian aid, such as medicine, food, clothing, etc., to the Palestinians, as well as health teams and engineering equipment to help remove rubble from destroyed houses. 

Since June 2021, the Egyptian government has sent bulldozers, cranes and 50 trucks to Gaza to start rebuilding the territory, as a result of the war with Israel. "Egyptian engineering teams and brigades entered the Gaza Strip today, Friday, through the Rafah crossing to help remove rubble from destroyed houses," said a brief statement from Egypt's state-run MENA news agency. One of the truck drivers told Reuters, "We ran with all our money, equipment and what we had to join the Palestinians in the reconstruction. All Muslims and Egyptians want to participate".

Israel destroyed four skyscrapers during the conflict, claiming they contained Hamas military infrastructure. "We hope that there will be big packages of projects in the near future, especially the towers that were destroyed in the war," he said. Alaa al-Arraj of the Palestinian contractors' union said that "nine Palestinian companies will participate in the Egyptian projects, which would generate some 16,000 much-needed jobs in the impoverished territory". Today, there is no evidence to prove this allegation, and the Islamic militia has consistently denied it.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem expressed appreciation, on behalf of the terrorist group, for Egyptian contributions and its efforts to rebuild Gaza. A Gazan official from the Ministry of Housing estimated the cost of reconstruction at $150 million. Also, the Ministry estimated that 1,500 homes were destroyed during the aggression, 1,700 homes suffered "irreparable damage", while 17,000 homes were partially damaged. Damage during the offensive was extensive as a result of the constant bombardment, and it is estimated that it will take years to repair all the damage.

For the new year, Egypt has again pledged to send a number of crews to continue clearing rubble, as well as promising to build large new apartment complexes. Of all the money pledged by the neighbouring country it is not known exactly how much has been delivered, what is known is that some of the financial aid delivered will be for "the construction of three cities that will house some 300,000 residents", according to Naji Sarhan, deputy director of the Hamas-run Ministry of Housing. Gaza's main coastal road is also being upgraded. All these projects will take a year and a half to complete. 

Almost every week, members of Egyptian delegations visit Gaza to carry out an inspection of the reconstruction work that began last year. They have even opened an office in a Gaza City hotel for technical representatives who are permanently in the territory, and the presence of dozens of dispatched workers, who sleep in a makeshift shelter in a Gaza City school. In addition, five days a week, Egyptian trucks full of construction materials arrive and pass through the Rafah crossing, while intermittent shipments arrive through another Israeli-controlled crossing. In contrast, Suhail Saqqa, a Gaza contractor involved in Palestinian reconstruction, said that "the constant flow of Egyptian materials is critical", as "the goods are not restricted by the Israeli crossings and this makes them momentous", Saqqa said.

The growing Egyptian role is a powerful tool in Hamas's enforcement of the truce. While the African nation can close the Rafah border crossing whenever it wants, making it impossible to travel in and out of the Strip, "Egypt can suffocate Gaza in a moment if its demands are not met," said Maged Mandour, an Egyptian political analyst. In addition to Egyptian aid, there are other donor countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, all of which have a number of conditions attached to the release of funds. All these measures could be more than enough to prevent another outbreak of hostilities in the short term.

It is important to stress that both Israel and most Western countries, Canada, the United States, Japan and the European Union, among others, consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation, due to its history of attacks against Israeli targets and refusal to accept Israel's existence. In response, Israel has imposed a policy of separation between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The current Israeli government has ruled out any meaningful peace negotiations in Gaza, a claim backed by the West Bank-based Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, who has Western support. Nevertheless, steps have been taken to improve living conditions for Gazans, including the issuance of some 10,000 permits for Gazans to work inside Israel. At all times, Cairo, in its role as Middle East peacemaker, wants to avoid a new round of violence, or at least delay it, while regaining its influence in the diplomatic arena, which was affected after the closure of the Rafah crossing in August, an act rejected by Hamas because it aggravated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  

Both Egypt, Israel and the US administration, focused on other larger crises, believe that preserving the status quo in Gaza might be enough to maintain calm. Meanwhile, Egypt and Israel continue to maintain diplomatic relations, backed by Washington, as does Egypt with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.