.png?locale=en)
Alsharq Tribune- World News
Egypt has denied claims that it is prepared to temporarily accept Palestinians from the neighbouring Gaza Strip. The pro-Iranian Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar had reported that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi informed Arab leaders of a plan to evacuate 500,000 Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Without naming the newspaper, Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) on Friday called the report "false" and categorically rejected the claim.
"Egypt completely denies allegations circulated in some media that it is ready to temporarily transfer half a million Gaza residents to northern Sinai as part of Gaza’s reconstruction," SIS was quoted as saying by the state-linked al-Qahera News TV.
"These false claims contradict Egypt’s firm and final rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinian people, forcibly or voluntarily, particularly to Egypt," the statement added.
Earlier this month, an emergency Arab summit in Cairo approved an Egyptian plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its population. The plan was presented as an alternative to a previous US proposal under President Donald Trump to resettle Gazans elsewhere and turn the enclave into a Middle East "Riviera."
Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has long played a key role in mediating the conflict. In January, Cairo, alongside the US and Qatar, brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier this week, Egypt condemned renewed Israeli strikes on Gaza, calling them a "flagrant violation" of the ceasefire agreement.
