Is Israel handing over control of Gaza to Egypt?

There are many rumors that the Egyptians are planning to return to the Gaza Strip. Many people here are convinced that the Egyptian-sponsored reconstruction work is part of a plan to pave the way for a permanent Egyptian security presence in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptians are working to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation and reunite the West Bank with the Gaza Strip. Egypt has invited representatives of several Palestinian factions to Cairo as it supports the establishment of a Palestinian state comprising of West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

It may be recalled that during the 1948 War of Independence, the Arab League established the “All-Palestine Government” to govern the Egyptian-controlled Gaza. Palestinians living in the enclave were issued “All-Palestine” passports. Egypt did not offer them citizenship. After the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government in 1959, Egypt continued to control the Gaza Strip until 1967. The Egyptians never annexed Gaza and chose to administer it through a military governor.

After the establishment of ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 21^st May 2021, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has pledged US$500 million to help rebuild the houses and buildings that were destroyed during the fighting. Dozens of Egyptian bulldozers, cranes and trucks entered the Gaza last Friday. This created an impression among the Palestinians that Egypt is planning to return to the coastal enclave it ruled between 1948 and 1967.

It is not clear if Egypt wants to go back to the days when it was administering the Gaza. But Sisi’s decision to contribute to the reconstruction effort shows that he wants to be heavily involved with everything concerning Gaza.

Some critics go to the extent of saying that the presence of the Egyptian construction teams in the Gaza means that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will not be able to resume the rocket attacks on Israel.

They say, “It will be hard for Hamas to initiate another round of fighting with Israel when there are many Egyptians inside the Gaza Strip. If Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad starts firing rockets at Israel while the Egyptian construction teams are working in the Gaza, the two groups will get into trouble with Egypt.”

The Head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, last week made a rare visit to the Gaza, where he met with leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions and discussed with them ways of maintaining the ceasefire and the reconstruction efforts.

It is on record that relations between Egypt and Hamas were strained after Sisi came to power in 2013 after deposing President Mohamed Morsi and outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2015, an Egyptian court listed Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, as a terrorist organization. Morsi and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood were later charged with spying for Hamas and Iran.

Until a few years ago, Egypt’s state-controlled media had accused Hamas of helping Muslim terrorists who attacked Egyptian security forces in the Sinai. Hamas has strongly denied the charges, saying it does not meddle in the internal affairs of any Arab country. The relations between Egypt and Hamas have improved over the past few years.