Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday warned against any forceful displacements of Palestinians from Gaza as he criticized indiscriminate Israeli attacks on the blockaded strip.
"What's happening in Gaza right now isn't just military operation against Hamas, but attempt to force people to seek refuge in Egypt," he said.
He said any such move would set a precedent for "the displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank into Jordan."
El-Sissi, who has rejected calls to allow large numbers of refugees from Gaza into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, said the goal of "the Palestinian state" would be "eradicated."
"If it came to it, I could call on the Egyptian people to come out and express their rejection of this proposal, and you would see millions of Egyptians" in the street, he told reporters.
The president also denied blocking humanitarian aid through Rafah, the only border crossing with Gaza not under Israel's control.
He blamed incessant Israeli bombardments of Gaza for it not operating.
"Developments on the ground and the repeated bombings by Israel of the Palestinian side of the crossing have prevented operations," el-Sissi told reporters.
Aid convoys have been waiting for six days on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, which has been bombed four times since Israel launched its response to a shock incursion by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
