Egypt is beefing up its troops at its Rafah border with Gaza amid fears Israel plans to send thousands of Palestinian refugees across the border into the Sinai desert.
Cairo has said expelling so many Palestinians from their homes would violate international law and pose a national security risk to Egypt, which could bankrupt the country’s ailing economy, The Guardian reports. The Palestinians themselves and other Arab states fear that the refugees will never be allowed to return to their homes.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has said that Palestinians in Gaza “must stand firm and hold on to their land.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he completely agreed with Egypt. He said in Cairo: “I repeat once again that we are inviting Israel to abide by international law. We are against the displacement of Palestinians. We will never accept the policy of expelling Egypt.