Middle East Analyst Pans Egypt for Aiding Hamas, Blocking Gazan Emigration

Egypt is preventing Palestinian civilians from escaping the war zone by blocking Gazan emigration, according to conservative Middle East analyst and commentator Caroline Glick, who argued that recent years have shown Egypt, under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, acts as a major state sponsor of Hamas, aiding the terrorist group by building up its forces.

In an essay published in Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) on Thursday, Glick revealed the shift in Egypt’s role from restraining to sponsoring Hamas, exacerbating the current conflict — which began on October 7 after the Hamas terrorist group perpetrated the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust. The massacre saw the torture, rape, execution, immolation, and abduction of hundreds of Israeli civilians, as well as widespread Palestinian support for it.

“…[F]ar from acting as a restraint on Hamas’s military and economic power as it did a decade ago, Egypt in recent years, and still today is a major state sponsor of Hamas,” charged Glick, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC.

Despite the financial aid Egypt receives, Glick suggested that its actions have prolonged the war and contributed to Hamas’s strength, all while undermining Israel’s military efforts. Underscoring the strategic implications of Egypt’s support for Hamas on regional peace and stability, she insisted that el-Sisi “has tied Egypt’s peace with Israel and its posture in the region to the survival of the Hamas regime in Gaza and Israel’s defeat in the war.”

She also exposed the financial motivations behind Egypt’s actions, revealing a significant conflict of interest.

“Egypt has received loans and investments from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the United Arab Emirates totaling more than $50 billion…in exchange for its ‘moderating’ role” in the conflict, Glick noted.

Illustrating the exploitation of Gazans by Egyptian authorities for monetary gain amidst the conflict, she cited reports estimating that “since the beginning of the war, Organi [the group that controls all aspects of the border zone with Egypt and was co-founded by el-Sisi’s son, Gen. Mahmoud el-Sisi, who serves as the deputy commander of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate] has received tens of millions of dollars in payments from Gazans for permission to enter Egypt.”

She then turned to the ideological motivations behind Egypt’s refusal to allow Gazan emigration. According to Glick, “Blocking the exit of Gazans from the war zone,…el-Sisi said Egypt ‘will not allow the termination of the Palestinian cause,'” committing to a policy that keeps Palestinians locked in conflict.

Highlighting the legal and humanitarian consequences of Egypt’s actions in blocking Gazan emigration, Glick insisted that the North African country’s refusal is “unlawful under international humanitarian law and has had the operational impact of prolonging the war and the suffering of Gazans on the ground for seven months.”

Citing a CNN report from May 22, she also accused Egypt of playing an active role in obstructing peace efforts and hostage negotiations.

Emphasizing the potential influence the U.S. holds over Egypt while calling for American lawmakers to act, Glick concluded that there is “no objective reason that el-Sisi’s extortionist pro-Hamas policies should succeed,” noting that “U.S. leverage over Egypt is considerable.”

In December, Glick warned that Israel had become dangerously dependent on American munitions as she called for Israeli self-sufficiency, slamming the Biden administration’s push for a “hideously anti-Israel” two-state solution policy, declaring it a “plan to annihilate Israel, piece by piece.”

Previously, she accused President Joe Biden of being the “primary obstacle to Israeli victory” against Hamas in Gaza.

Glick’s essay comes as Gazans wishing to emigrate, largely due to severe living conditions that have made much of the area uninhabitable, face significant barriers, including international reluctance and high costs, despite Israel’s willingness to facilitate departures through the Rafah border.

Palestinian Emigration

An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinians have crossed into Egypt since the war began, while more than one million remain in refugee camps near the Rafah gate, with many relying on crowdfunding platforms, such as GoFundMe, to cover the high costs of crossing the border.

Humanitarian organizations have expressed deep concern over the current conditions in Gaza. While Israel seeks to provide humanitarian aid to Gazans, it struggles to do so effectively due to the ongoing war with Hamas. 

Following the October 7 Hamas massacre, Israel invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas and rescue its hostages. In response, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh railed against any plans of migration of Gazans to Egypt, preferring that Palestinian civilians remain in the warzone after his group launched the unprecedented attack on the Jewish state.

Yet Gazans have long sought to emigrate, even before the current conflict, with many actualizing their dream due to the oppressive living conditions under Hamas, lack of economic opportunities, and ongoing violence, seeking better lives abroad. In fact, since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, over a quarter million Gazans have fled the coastal enclave, with many paying bribes to escape. 

For years, the Gaza Strip has faced a brain drain as young professionals, including doctors, emigrated due to lack of jobs and political instability, with nearly half of those who leave not returning.

Despite Hamas opposing emigration and attempting to prevent bad publicity, its governance and dire economic conditions in Gaza have driven many young Palestinians to seek better opportunities abroad, with Turkey being a primary destination before the recent conflict intensified.

The terror group has prioritized attacks against Israel over improving living conditions for Palestinians, leading to wars, casualties, and emigration under corrupt leadership, while the international community has largely ignored their plight and chooses to blame Israel.

As a result, much of the international community has long been accused of displaying a double standard in handling Gaza refugees, even as many displaced Gazans contemplate emigration to secure better futures.

While many countries have been willing to accept refugees from conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, there has been a noticeable reluctance to accommodate Gazans, with nations worldwide continuing to oppose the emigration of Gazans, even as war rages.

The United Nations and foreign media have virtually disregarded the suffering of Palestinians seeking to flee Gaza’s Islamist regime despite claiming to care for their wellbeing. While human rights activists often push for humanitarian solutions to crises, they appear to resist relocating Gazans to safer areas, a move that merely perpetuates Gaza’s cycle of poverty and conflict. 

This inconsistency highlights a selective approach to humanitarian crises, influenced more by political considerations than pure humanitarian concerns.

Additionally, current international opposition to mass Palestinian emigration contrasts historical support for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Though the world backed the removal of Israeli Jews from Gaza in 2005 for “peace,” it now appears to reject the migration of Palestinians despite it potentially improving their lives and reducing hostilities, as desperate Palestinians face rejection from Egypt and Jordan for refuge amid Israel’s bombardment.

Despite Gaza’s dire situation, international leaders largely reject Palestinian emigration, with Egypt and Jordan refusing refugees, and only a few Gazans with foreign passports, the wounded, and those paying high fees having crossed into Egypt.

However, some individuals have spoken out on the issue, with proponents arguing that emigration could provide Gazans with a chance for a better life, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and reduce hostilities.

Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Division, insisted that Palestinians have the “right to leave a country, the right to seek asylum, and the right of non-refoulement, that is, not to be pushed back or returned to face persecution or other serious threats.”

Their right to flee, he argued, is an option that “cannot be closed.”

“It is absolutely pivotal that people are allowed to emigrate from Gaza just like from any other place on the planet,” argued author Uri Kurlianchik. “It’s insane that no one is even talking about it.” 

“Free emigration will do more to promote stability in the region than any treaty or military operation,” he added.

Writing for the Atlantic, professor and researcher Joshua Krug called to allow Palestinians who seek to leave Gaza to do so, explaining that “no one should be trapped in a war zone.”

Noting that many Palestinians in Gaza want to escape the violence but face closed borders and international resistance, filmmaker Avi Abelow described the blocking of voluntary emigration from Gaza as “unjust and inhumane,” and he urged the Biden administration to “openly call on Muslim countries to take in Gaza refugees.”

One U.S. congressional initiative, reportedly supported by senior officials from both parties, proposed conditioning aid to Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Turkey on their acceptance of Gaza refugees, suggesting specific refugee quotas and criticizing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s (UNRWA) role in perpetuating the refugee crisis.

Proponents argue that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, marked by massive displacement and severe shortages, underscores the urgent need for international intervention to uphold Palestinians’ rights and provide refuge. Accordingly, they suggest a coordinated international effort, combined with financial support and the establishment of humanitarian corridors, is essential to providing relief to the suffering population of Gaza.