File photo: A vehicle of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) crosses from the Palestinian side to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
The source stated that Netanyahu’s claims lacked reality and placed responsibility on other countries for his failure to achieve his goals in the Gaza Strip — which has witnessed acts of genocide.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu repeated his claims on why Israel cannot withdraw its troops from the 14-km-long Philadelphi corridor along the borders between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
In a press conference with foreign reporters, he reaffirmed “the centrality of the Philadelphi corridor” to "the arming of Hamas," which he argued "led to the 7 October" operation.
He showed reporters a map of Gaza with arrows pointing from Sinai into the strip under the title Weapons Smuggling Operations.
He also showed images of tunnels allegedly built under the Philadelphi corridor which he claimed were used to smuggle arms from Sinai to Gaza.
Immediately after Netanyahu’s presser, a high-level Egyptian source said the Israeli Prime Minister was spreading lies to cover up his failure in Gaza, Al-Qahera News reported.
On Tuesday, Egypt rejected similar statements made by Netanyahu on Monday, in which “he sought to use Egypt’s name to deflect Israeli public attention and hinder ongoing ceasefire and captive-prisoner swap negotiations.”
Such remarks by Netanyahu are an attempt to hinder the mediation efforts being carried out by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, a statement issued by Egypt’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry emphasized a “firm rejection of all allegations made by Israeli officials in this regard.”
Egypt further held the Israeli government responsible for the consequences of such statements, which it said exacerbate tensions and seek to justify Israeli aggressive and inflammatory policies that have contributed to further escalation in the region.
This comes though Egypt has reiterated more than once its rejection of any Israeli presence in the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt borders and the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing as a constant of any ceasefire agreement.
The latest declaration was by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Monday when he reiterated Egypt’s unequivocal rejection of Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor, stating that such control is unacceptable.
Moreover, Cairo has repeatedly refuted Israeli allegations that Egypt is a source of weapons "smuggled into Gaza through tunnels" along the 14-kilometre Egypt-Gaza border.
In early August, an Egyptian high-level source refuted claims circulated by Israeli media that the Israeli army discovered "operational tunnels" between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
"Israel is making references to closed tunnels in Gaza to spread misleading claims for political purposes," said the source.
"Israel is overlooking arms smuggling operations from Israel to the West Bank as a pretext for seizing land and carrying out further killings and extermination against Palestinians," the source explained.
Earlier this year, Head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan comprehensively rebuffed "baseless and false" Israeli claims on the same matter.
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