Egypt condemns Netanyahu's statements regarding displacement from the Rafah crossing.. and his office retaliates.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Egypt "will never be a partner in liquidating the Palestinian cause or become a gateway for displacement, and this matter remains a red line that is non-negotiable."

This came in a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in response to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his willingness to open the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side under occupation, with the aim of evacuating Palestinians, claiming that it would be immediately closed from Egypt.

Egypt expressed its "deep disapproval of the statements attributed to Netanyahu regarding the displacement of Palestinians from their land, including through the Rafah crossing."

It reiterated its "condemnation and rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people under any name, whether forcibly or voluntarily, from their land through the continued targeting of civilians, civilian infrastructure, and various aspects of life to force Palestinians to leave."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that "these practices constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and amount to crimes of ethnic cleansing," urging the international community to "activate accountability mechanisms for these declared crimes."

It stated: "Egypt reaffirms that it will never be a partner in this injustice by liquidating the Palestinian cause or becoming a gateway for displacement, and this matter remains a red line that is non-negotiable."

The Foreign Ministry called in this regard for "confronting the state of chaos that Israel seeks to entrench in the region, a ceasefire in Gaza, and Israel's withdrawal from the sector."

For its part, Netanyahu's office responded to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement, saying: "Contrary to what the Egyptian Foreign Ministry claimed, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about the freedom of choice for every person in determining their place of residence; this is a fundamental human right at all times, especially in times of war."

It added: "The Egyptian Foreign Ministry prefers to confine the residents of Gaza within it, even those who wish to leave the war zone, against their will."

Netanyahu claimed in an interview with the "Abu Ali Express" (Hebrew) channel on the Telegram platform that "there are various plans for how to rebuild Gaza, but half of the population wants to leave Gaza," claiming that "this is not mass expulsion."

He continued with his claims: "I can open the Rafah crossing for them, but it will be immediately closed from Egypt," asserting that "the right to leave Gaza is a fundamental right for every Palestinian."

He added: "Trump and I agree on almost everything, I would say on everything," without further details, except that Trump strongly supports Netanyahu's plans to displace Palestinians and has given him the green light to do so.

Palestinians affirm their adherence to their land and reject plans to displace them, amid warnings of American-Israeli moves to liquidate the Palestinian cause.