Egyptian authorities call capital rally in support of Palestinians

Cairo, Oct 19 (EFE).- Egyptian authorities on Thursday called for a rally in Cairo to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip against Israeli attacks and to reject what they see as Israeli attempts to force the displacement of refugees into Sinai.

Broadcast by local media, the Board of Trustees of Egypt’s National Dialogue called for a massive rally on Friday, a day of religious observance for Muslims, in front of the symbolic Memorial of the Unknown Soldier that commemorates the Yom Kippur war of 1973 and the recovery of the Sinai by Egypt after Israeli occupation.

The rally was formally called to express support for the Palestinian cause, to reject Israel’s “barbaric attacks,” and to affirm the unity of the Egyptian people and state in the face of “threats to liquidate the Palestinian cause and harm Egypt’s national security and the integrity of its lands.”

On Wednesday, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned the international community and, in particular the West, that millions of Egyptians could take to the streets to reject any forced displacement of potentially hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees from Gaza into Sinai.

Since Israeli reprisals on Gaza began after the assault by Islamist group Hamas on Oct. 7, Egypt has been increasingly vocal in its opposition to Israeli attempts to force the Palestinian population onto its territory, which it considers to be the ultimate goal of the Israeli offensive.

Sisi was concerned that the displacement of people into his country could turn Sinai into a “base for launching operations against Israel.”

Humanitarian aid has been piling up at Egypt’s side of the Rafah crossing, the only Gaza exit not controlled by Israel, and which is inoperable due to Israeli bombardments. EFE

amr/tw