Egypt Delays Arrival of Israeli Ambassador Amid Tensions

Egypt is deliberately delaying the arrival of the Israeli ambassador to Cairo, according to an Israeli report, as tensions between the two sides escalate over the Gaza issue and the Philadelphia axis.

The Israeli channel, i24NEWS, reported that there has been no Israeli ambassador in Egypt for two weeks due to Cairo’s deliberate delay. The ambassador appointed to replace the former one, Uri Rothman, has not yet been approved by Egypt and remains in Israel.

An official familiar with the channel’s narrative stated that the Egyptians are deliberately delaying the approval of the new ambassador to avoid pressuring him to get a letter of recommendation for the position.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received the new ambassadors after approving their appointment in Cairo, but the last thing Egypt wants to see is a picture of a new Israeli ambassador whom Sisi receives with all due respect.

The relations between Egypt and Israel are witnessing tension against the backdrop of developments in Gaza, as Israel wants Philadelphia (Salah al-Din) to remain on the border axis between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and talks about the flow of arms to Hamas through a tunnel from Egypt, which Cairo rejects.

On Thursday, the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa, made a surprise visit to the Gaza Strip border to inspect the security situation and insurance systems.

Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez, spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces, announced the visit.

Cairo has always insisted on rejecting the presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphia axis or at the Rafah land border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism in Israel for his allegiance to the Philadelphia Axis, including many senior security officials in his government who believe that Israeli forces are capable of intervening in specific targets if necessary to prevent any smuggling.

Netanyahu has faced accusations from the families of many hostages, including the recovery of six bodies from a tunnel in southern Gaza last week, for “sacrificing their loved ones” by insisting on keeping forces in the Philadelphia axis.

The October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on official data.

Israel has vowed to “eliminate” Hamas, and has since responded with bombings and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 40,861 people, according to the Strip’s health ministry. The United Nations confirmed that most of the dead were women and children.