'No plan to evacuate Gaza residents towards Egyptian border'

JERUSALEM

Israel has no plans to evacuate the residents of the Gaza Strip towards the Egyptian border, state media claimed on Saturday.

“The relationship between Israel and Egypt is strategic and important, and the two countries are cooperating to prevent masses of Palestinians in Gaza from storming the border into Sinai,” an unnamed official source told the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

“There is no plan to evacuate Palestinians residing in Gaza towards the Rafah area, southern the Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border."

The public broadcaster said Tel Aviv may also agree to establish four new field hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip. The project is expected to be supported by Türkiye, Egypt, Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause with Hamas.

At least 17,487 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,480 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following the cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians are heading daily towards areas close to the Egyptian border in light of the Israeli army’s escalation of its bombing of all cities and towns of Gaza.

According to UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, nearly 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced since Oct. 7.

Cairo is said to be concerned that Israel will push Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt, and may not allow them to return after the war.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi