Egypt has threatened to scrap its long-standing peace deal with Israel if the latter launches a large-scale military operation in Rafah, a border city with Egypt that is home to about 1.4 million civilians, most of them Palestinian refugees. The agreement between Israel and Egypt, which has lasted for more than 40 years, was on the verge of collapse due to the promise of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send his troops to Rafah.
Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that Rafah is a key stronghold of Hamas and a ground operation is necessary to defeat the group. However, Egypt opposes any action that could trigger mass displacement of Palestinians across the border. In addition, Rafah is an important entry point for humanitarian aid, so an Israeli military operation could disrupt these supplies.
According to Netanyahu's plans, Palestinian civilians must be evacuated before the operation begins, although specific places for their resettlement have not been specified. If Egypt cancels the agreement, Israel may lose stability on its southern border. It could also have serious consequences for Egypt, which receives a lot of military aid from the US for implementing the deal with Israel. This could lead to a halt in this funding and increased military spending, threatening Egypt's economy.
