Benny Gantz, Israel’s Minister of Defense, has stated unequivocally that a crisis exists between Israel and Egypt because of the recent Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Gantz has been quoted saying, “We have continual touch with Egypt, and there have been ups and downs in the last two years… Over the past several days, there has been a minor decline, but we are working to rectify the situation.”
After Israel refused to rein in its incursions in the occupied West Bank, tensions began to rise between the two parties.
According to Israeli media, Cairo’s anger stemmed from Israel’s handling of the Gaza offensive and the killing of Palestinian activist Ibrahim al-Nabulsi one day after the cease-fire in Gaza.
Al-Nabulsi and two other Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid in Nablus city one day after Egypt succeeded in mediating a ceasefire to terminate a three-day Israeli attack on Gaza. Al-Nabulsi was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The onslaught resulted in the deaths of at least 49 Palestinians and the injuries of hundreds more.
According to a public broadcaster, the head of the Israeli General Security Service, Ronen Bar, recently flew to Egypt to meet with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt’s intelligence service, to discuss the current problem. The Egyptian authorities did not respond to the report.
