Egypt condemns Israeli PM's claims on Gaza

CAIRO - Egypt condemned on Sunday recent remarks on Gaza by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US media, describing them as deliberate "misinformation" that contradicts the efforts Egypt has been making.

In an interview with Fox News aired on Saturday, Netanyahu said the reason why Gaza is described the "biggest open-air prison in the world" is that people are "not allowed to leave".

He also praised US President Donald Trump's proposal to forcibly displace and relocate Gaza's population to Jordan and Egypt, a proposal that has been strongly rejected by Arab countries.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Netanyahu's remarks denied the efforts that Egypt has been making to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, the latest of which brought in more than 5,000 aid trucks to Gaza since the recent ceasefire, in addition to facilitating the passage of injured Palestinians and dual nationals through the Rafah crossing.

Egypt stressed that Netanyahu's claims aim to cover up and divert attention from the "flagrant violations" committed by Israel against civilians and the destruction of vital Palestinian facilities, including hospitals, educational institutions, electricity stations and water facilities.

Egypt also expressed its complete rejection of any statements about displacing the Palestinian people to Egypt, Jordan or Saudi Arabia.

It reaffirmed its adherence to the Egyptian and Arab stances of supporting the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.