7:54 p.m. ET, January 22, 2024
Egypt rejects Israel's accusations of failing to maintain security on the Gaza border
By CNN's Mitchell McCluskey, Housam Ahmed and Sarah El Sirgany
Egypt has denied allegations that it has failed to maintain security on its border with Gaza, leading to arms smuggling in the enclave.
The head of the Egyptian State Information Service, the Egyptian government's media outlet, blamed “extremist Israeli leaders who are trying to plunge the region into a state of conflict and instability.”
Chairwoman Diaa Rashwan's statement followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim last week that weapons and military equipment were being smuggled into Gaza via Egypt. Netanyahu even went so far as to say that the border between Gaza and Egypt must be “closed” and called for the closure of the Philadelphi Corridor, a less than 9-mile-long strip of land that serves as a buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza.
“It must be strictly emphasized that any Israeli step in this direction will lead to a serious threat to Egyptian-Israeli relations,” Rashwan said.
Rashwan said Egypt has made efforts to combat smuggling by building a wall along the Philadelphia corridor, destroying more than 1,500 tunnels in the border area and increasing the number of its border guards.
Rashwan said Israel was only accusing Egypt of smuggling to “create legitimacy for its attempt to occupy the Philadelphi Corridor.”
Correction: Updated the description of the Philadelphi Corridor to reflect that it is less than 9 miles long.