Egypt denies debt forgiveness deal amid Gaza displacement rumors

Shafaq News/ Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry dismissed rumors on Friday suggesting that Egypt was under pressure to cancel debts in exchange for agreeing to displace Gaza residents to Sinai or other Egyptian lands.

Shoukry emphasized that there is no possibility of Palestinians being displaced from their lands and clarified that Egypt's economic position is not linked to developments in Gaza.

He stressed that "there will be no possibility of displacement or movement of Palestinians to these lands or to leave their location, and there have been no discussions regarding Egypt's economic position being linked to developments in Gaza."

Shukri had stressed that there is no political will in Israel to implement the two-state solution.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said, "We must strive to reach an agreement to establish a Palestinian state and implement the two-state solution," noting that: "It is not appropriate to have any arrangements that reinforce the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."

On October 24, +972 Magazine and its sister publication Local Call reported on a leaked document allegedly from Israel's Ministry of Intelligence, outlining a proposal to "evacuate" all Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt.

Rumours are also swirling that Israeli leaders are attempting to entice Cairo into accepting displaced Palestinians by offering to write off some of its bloated external debt, which hovers at about $160bn.

In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly lobbied European leaders to help him convince el-Sisi to take in refugees from Gaza — an idea he has so far rejected.

El-Sisi has articulated concerns that accepting refugees from Gaza might invite Palestinian fighters to take root in Egypt.