Is Egypt Moving To Attack Israel?

In a report from CBN.com we learn that a new war front against Israel could be forming now:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often spoken about the seven-front war that Israel has been fighting since the Hamas massacre and kidnappings on October 7th, 2023.

There could be an eighth front developing:

Recently, however, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter expressed concern about a potential eighth front in the war: a military buildup by the Egyptian military in the Sinai Peninsula.

On CBN News' Global Lane, Gary Lane spoke with Josh Hasten from Jewish News Syndicate about the Egyptian action.

The first topic was what to make of Egypt building up troops in the Sinai:

GARY LANE: So first, what can you tell us about the Israeli ambassador's assertion about the Egyptian troop buildup in the Sinai? Is it true? And if so, why would Egypt be doing that in violation of the Camp David Accords?

JOSH HASTEN: Yeah, it's absolutely true. And this is a violation of those peace accords which go back all the way to 1979. At this juncture, we're not exactly sure why the Egyptians are doing so. But Egypt, you know, a country which borders Gaza and Israel, a country which did not let in many of those Gazans who could have been seeking refuge from the war in Gaza.

Hasten went on to note that Egypt is far from unbiased. He also wondered if the build up is a sign of something bigger:

Egypt also turning a blind eye, for so many years, to the Hamas smuggling tunnels. All of a sudden they have established a military presence, several brigades down there in the Sinai. Number one, it seems like they're moving into an offensive position. Could they be, perhaps, trying to lead some sort of attack against Israel? That is our great concern right now, that's number one.

He then offered another reason for the military move:

Number two, could they be establishing positions there, because of the Trump plan, thinking that perhaps, in fact, Gazans will try to flee toward Egypt. That could be a concern of the Egyptians. Now, they've been holding Gazans, they're not letting them into Egypt. and all of a sudden they're playing a role on an international stage, perhaps trying to keep them in Gaza against the Trump plan. They're trying to put together a plan of their own. They'd like to see the Gazans remain in Gaza, unwilling to help their fellow Arab Muslims, instead trying to hold them there as pawns against the State of Israel, so it could it be it could be several of those factors playing in here. and that's the reason, perhaps, why you have a military buildup, again, in violation of the Israeli Egyptian peace accords.

Pushing Back

The reasoning makes sense to Egypt since they would prefer the Gaza Strip keep Hamas and any refugees. The question came up in light of President Trump’s relocation plan:

GL: Well, the good journalist that you are, and I know from my own experience, I mean, you always look at timing of things. Trump makes the announcement about suggesting possibly moving the people of Gaza into the Sinai, and then this. I mean, was this a sudden build-up, or has it been going on for some time now?

Hasten feels that Egypt would rather Gazans stay and not be allowed to stay in their country:

JH: So it's happened before, there have been different instances of it. And unfortunately, Israel has downplayed the significance of past attempts by Egypt to show a military presence. And all of a sudden they have a new plan, if you will. completely the opposite of what President Trump says he wants to do…that is, move the Gazans out of Gaza in order to rebuild, and then the United States would take over. So all of a sudden Egypt wants to get involved when they've been quiet for so long, ignoring the plight of the Gazans, ignoring what's going on in that part of that part of the globe.

The interviewer asked if the Egyptian plan was seen as a viable option to Trump’s plan:

GL: So is Egypt's plan for Gaza getting any traction, what's the response?

JH: Well it's a brand new plan right now. I just don't think it's feasible with the situation you have in Gaza, as President Trump has said time and time again, Gaza's in total ruins right now, you have those unexploded munitions right now, it's a very dangerous place to be. So do the Egyptians really want more people dying there, more kids dying with the unexploded munitions throughout there? Do you want people living in tents for years and years? The American administration has said it's going to take five, ten, 15 years to rebuild Gaza. Do you want the people actually staying there? So I don't think it's a realistic plan. I think that they're really trying to shirk from their responsibility, as they've been doing all along, and not give the Gazans a place to go, instead holding them there as pawns, as they've been doing, against the State of Israel.

So far the Trump plan is the only workable one out there, but there is a bigger reason behind Egypt not supporting it. You see, they’ve been aiding and abetting Hamas and even allowing weapons and soldiers to come into Gaza for a long time. Yes, they probably don’t want to take in the Gazans for other reasons, but the glaring one is that they, like so many other Arab countries, hate Israel with a passion. It goes all the way back to Abraham and Issac’s days when Ishmael was born to Hagar. So will Israel have to actually fight Egypt as well? They could. No one really knows for certain, but we do know that they’ve attacked Israel before and Israel hasn’t forgotten that. And neither does God. I wouldn’t bet against Israel if an eighth front materializes. And Egyptians should recall a Red Sea moment didn’t turn out well for them, either.