Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid rejected Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks claiming that Egypt bears a great responsibility for what happened on October 7.
“It is unfortunate and disgraceful that the Israeli Finance Minister, Smotrich, continues to make irresponsible and inciting statements, which only reveal a hunger for killing and destruction, and sabotage any attempt to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip,” Abu Zeid said in a statement on X on Monday, adding:
“These statements are completely unacceptable, as Egypt fully controls its territory, and does not allow any party to embroil Egypt’s name in any failed attempt to justify its shortcomings”.
Israeli media quoted Finance Minister Smotrich as saying that Cairo “bore considerable responsibility for what happened on October 7” and that the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas obtained its weapons through the Egyptian border.
من المؤسف والمشين أن يستمر وزير المالية الإسرائيلي " سموتريتش" في إطلاق تصريحات غير مسئولة وتحريضية، ولا تكشف إلا عن نهم للقتل والتدمير، وتخريب لأية محاولة لاحتواء الأزمة في قطاع غزة…
— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) February 12, 2024
The comments were reportedly made at a meeting of Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party on Monday.
According to reports, Smotrich also called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to send an Israeli representative to Cairo for negotiations regarding a possible prisoner exchange deal.
“Instead of sending Shin Bet chief Ronan Bar to Cairo for talks with the Nazi enemy, he should continue to be sent to Rafah together with his men and the IDF soldiers to destroy the Nazi Hamas terrorists, as was done last night,” Smotrich wrote on X, according to The Times of Israel.
“Instead of sending the head of the Mossad to Qatar, the (Mossad) should be sent to eliminate the heads of Hamas all over the world,” Smotrich added.
Minister Smotrich: "Instead of sending the head of the Mossad to Qatar, he should be sent to eliminate the heads of Hamas all over the world"
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) February 12, 2024
Tensions have been running high between Cairo and Tel Aviv following Israel’s plans to carry out a ground invasion of the city of Rafah, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt.
According to media reports, Egypt threatened on Sunday to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if the Israeli army is sent into the densely populated border town.
1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge from the Israeli attacks in Rafah, which was declared a safe zone by Israel.
In the early hours of Monday, Israeli occupation forces embarked on an intense bombardment campaign targeting the densely overcrowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, including a significant number of children and women.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported the tragic killing of more than 100 civilians, including children and women, with hundreds more wounded. The casualties were rushed to hospitals across the city.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
As one of the Palestinian Resistance leaders correctly stated some time ago, this Bezalel Smotrich imbecile needs to return back to his real homeland (Ukraine), as opposed to occupying the Palestinian homeland. Prior to their extremely unwelcome arrival in Palestine at the end of the 19th century, these Zionist criminals had never had any ancestors who lived in the area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. All of their ancestors were from Europe. Besides Palestine, these Zionist thieves had also considered four other places to steal and create a “Jewish homeland”: Uganda, Argentina, Texas, and upstate New York.
Egypt and other countries just say and their words do not follow deeds.