The Israeli Broadcasting Authority has revealed growing Egyptian concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump, encouraged by Israel, has not abandoned efforts to pressure Cairo into accepting the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
According to the report published on Monday, Egypt suspects that agreeing to such a plan would become a condition for American intervention in its ongoing conflict with Ethiopia over the Nile River waters.
Linking Gaza’s Fate to the Nile Crisis
The report stated:
“Egyptian officials fear that Trump has not let go of the plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza. In light of his growing interest in the unresolved conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Nile, Cairo suspects that American assistance in ending this dispute will only come if Egypt agrees to the displacement scheme.”
The Nile crisis centres on Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which threatens to deprive Egypt of a significant portion of its vital water supply. For Cairo, this represents an existential threat that has triggered years of tense negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan, as well as veiled threats of military confrontation.
During Trump’s previous presidency, the U.S. attempted to mediate between the parties but failed to reach a settlement. Recently, Trump has once again taken up the issue, stressing Washington’s “responsibility” to help resolve the crisis.
Egypt’s Deep Suspicion
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Trump’s latest remarks publicly. However, according to sources cited by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Cairo privately harbours serious doubts about Trump’s intentions, fearing that his “help” will not come without strings attached.
The report explained:
“The Egyptian concern is that Trump’s mediation in resolving the Nile crisis will not be free of charge. The U.S. appears to be using the dispute with Ethiopia as leverage to push Egypt toward accepting the idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza – an idea Egypt firmly rejects.”
Cairo Rejects the “Crime” of Displacement
In response, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement expressing its alarm over reports of consultations between Israel and certain countries about the forced transfer of Palestinians from Gaza. The statement urged the international community not to be complicit in “this heinous crime.”
Amid these concerns, Egypt has been vigorously promoting its own vision for Gaza’s “day after” scenario: a technocratic interim government under the Palestinian Authority, coupled with the training of thousands of Palestinian police officers from Gaza, affiliated with the Authority, to impose security.
Analysis
This development exposes the dangerous attempt to link two separate struggles – Egypt’s existential battle over the Nile waters and the Palestinian people’s steadfastness in Gaza. For Palestinians, displacement is not a “solution” but another chapter of the ongoing Nakba. For Egypt, accepting such a scheme would mean complicity in the Zionist-American agenda while undermining its own regional legitimacy.
The episode highlights how Palestinian suffering is routinely used as a bargaining chip in international negotiations, with Washington and Tel Aviv attempting to exploit regional crises to advance their colonial project in Gaza.
