Egypt rejects Israeli minister’s claim of shared responsibility for Oct.7 Hamas attack

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Egypt ‘bore considerable responsibility for what happened on Oct. 7’

Egypt Monday slammed Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s claim holding Egypt responsible for Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attacks against Israel. 

In a statement, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid described Smotrich’s statements as “totally unacceptable (and) irresponsible.”

He added that the remarks “only reveal a hunger for killing and destruction and sabotage of any attempt to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip.”

Speaking to his right-wing Religious Zionist Party, Smotrich said Egypt “bore considerable responsibility for what happened on Oct. 7.”

Egypt, which became the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has historically mediated in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Along with Qatar, it facilitated a week-long truce in November that resulted in the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as well as increased aid deliveries into Gaza. 

Israel’s offensive has forced more than half of Gaza’s 2.4 million people into vast tent cities in the southern town of Rafah on the Egyptian border.

There are concerns about a potential Israeli ground incursion in Rafah, as Israeli strikes in the city overnight reportedly resulted in around 100 deaths, coinciding with an operation that freed two hostages. 

Egypt’s Al-Qahera News network, which is connected to state intelligence, stated that Cairo is closely monitoring the situation in Rafah and is prepared to handle any situation. 

Source: Newsroom & AA