Egyptian Armed Forces chief of staff inspects border with Gaza in highest-level military visit to area since Israel launched aggression

The Egyptian military’s chief of staff inspected Egypt’s border with Gaza on Thursday, the Egyptian Armed Forces’ spokesperson announced.

The tour conducted by Lieutenant General Ahmed Khalifa marked the highest level military visit to the border since Israel invaded Gaza almost 11 months ago. 

Thursday’s military display tailed a diplomatic outcry that has seen Egypt and other states in the region reject recent statements by the Israeli prime minister in which he accused Egypt of failing to prevent weapons from reaching the fighters in Gaza via its border with the strip.

Egypt’s military spokesperson released a video on Thursday afternoon showing Khalifa’s visit to  “inspect security measures at the northeastern strategic direction.”

“The tour began” the spokesperson said, with a visit to “the forces tasked with securing the Rafah border crossing,” noting that the chief of staff stressed that it is a priority for the Armed Forces to preserve the country's borders in all strategic directions. 

The spokesperson affirmed the soldiers’ capability to “defend the homeland’s borders generation after generation,” adding that Khalifa met with the Border Guard Corps as well as other units, and heard a detailed explanation of how the forces cooperate to achieve complete control over the international border line around the clock.

During a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Egypt’s border with Gaza as a "source of oxygen" for Hamas to obtain weapons and ammunition. 

Netanyahu also criticized Egypt for failing to secure the Philadelphi Corridor — a strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza — arguing that Israel should retain control of the axis in the future. The corridor and the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing have been occupied by Israeli forces since May.

The prime minister’s comments disregarded the premise of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in which the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, also known as the Salah Eddin Axis, is a key demand by the resistance factions. 

Shortly after Netanyahu’s remarks on Monday, US President Joe Biden told reporters that the Israeli prime minister was not doing enough to reach a ceasefire deal, declining to elaborate further.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry rejected Netanyahu’s statement in an official statement on Tuesday, describing it as an effort to “use Egypt’s name to distract Israeli public opinion, obstruct a ceasefire deal and the exchange of hostages and detainees, and obstruct the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.”

Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Jordan and Kuwait also issued official statements declaring "full solidarity with Egypt" and rejecting the statements "issued by the head of the Israeli Occupation government."

Egypt has not made an official comment on Cairo’s position regarding Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor. Yet the state-aligned Al-Qahera News channel, a news outlet run by the United Media Services conglomerate which is owned by the state’s General Intelligence Service, cited a “high-level source” in a Monday morning report saying that “Egypt reaffirms its emphasis on the constants and determinants of any peace agreement, foremost among which is the categorical rejection of the Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing.”

Another report from the outlet on Wednesday evening likewise cited an unnamed high-level source to state that, “the Israeli prime minister is spreading lies to cover up his failure in the Gaza Strip,” describing the accusations against Egypt as cover for Israel’s failure “to eliminate the arms smuggling mafia from Karam Abu Salem to the Gaza Strip.”

Egypt’s military spokesperson added on Thursday that Khalifa thanked personnel in North Sinai for their efforts to secure the border during his visit, stressing the confidence of the General Command of the Armed Forces in their ability and combat efficiency, and cautioning them “not to succumb to rumors” that aim to undermine the Egyptian state.