CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign ministry on Monday termed as irresponsible and disgraceful the remarks by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who stated Cairo has a shared responsibility for Hamas’s October 7 attack.
Smotrich during a meeting of his Religious Zionism party said that the Egyptians bear considerable responsibility for October 7.
According to Gaza health ministry Israel’s relentless bombardment in Gaza Strip has killed at least 28,340 people, most of them women and children.
Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said it was disgraceful and unfortunate for the Israeli minister to make irresponsible and inflammatory statements.
“Egypt fully controls its territory, and does not allow any party to involve Egypt’s name in failed attempts to justify its own shortcomings,” he said.
Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel and has long served as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Along with Qatar, it helped broker a week-long ceasefire in November that saw the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and more humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza.
Israel’s offensive has forced more than half of the besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people into tent cities in the border city of Rafah.
Israel has started to focus on Rafah as its most recent target, with worries of a looming Israeli ground offensive.
Gaza health ministry said that Israeli attacks on city overnight, killed around 100 Palestinians.
Egyptian media has reported that Cairo is closely following the situation in Rafah, and is ready to deal with every situation.
The foreign ministry spokesman said Smotrich’s remarks shows “a ravenous hunger for killing and destruction, and sabotage of any attempt to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip.”
