Diplomatic tensions between Egypt and Israel rose to the surface in recent months surrounding the war in Gaza, a territory that borders both countries. Officials in Cairo and Jerusalem have tried to keep the tensions behind the scenes, but a series of recent events and comments have brought them into public view.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rejected the possibility of taking in refugees from Gaza since the start of the war, an insistence that has continued even as President Donald Trump announced his plan to have Gaza evacuated and rebuilt. 

Meanwhile, Egypt has amassed large numbers of tanks and other military equipment and personnel, including constructing three new airfields, in Sinai, beginning even before the war. The Egyptian Army recently deployed tanks near the Gaza border, reportedly in protest against Israel’s continued presence in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and to stop a mass exodus of Palestinians to Egypt from the enclave. Both Egypt’s military buildup and Israel’s holding of the Philadelphi Corridor may constitute violations of the 1979 peace treaty between the countries. 

An Israeli official told Jewish Insider that the peace treaty allows Cairo to ask Jerusalem for authorization for deployment in Sinai beyond the 47 battalions stipulated in the agreement — by one estimate there are currently camps for 180 battalions — and that “coordination between Israel and Egypt continues.” However, the official would not confirm or deny reports that Egypt has been acting first and notifying Israel later. 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter warned in a briefing to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations last month that “Egypt is in very serious violation of our peace agreement in the Sinai, and this is an issue which is going to come to the fore because it is not a tolerable situation.”

“We have bases being built that can only be used for offensive operations and offensive weapons – That’s a clear violation,” Leiter added in remarks first published in The Times of Israel and confirmed by JI. “This is going to be an issue we’re going to put on the table very soon and very emphatically.”

Leiter also accused Sisi of “playing both sides” when it comes to Hamas, even though the current Egyptian government starkly opposes the Muslim Brotherhood, with which the terrorist organization is affiliated, and said that Cairo and Jerusalem will work better together if Israel “decisively” defeats Hamas.

Days after Leiter spoke, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon questioned Egypt’s military build-up: “They spend hundreds of millions of dollars on modern military equipment every year, yet they have no threats on their borders. Why do they need all these submarines and tanks?”

“After Oct. 7, this should raise alarm bells,” he added. “We have learned our lesson. We must monitor Egypt closely and prepare for every scenario.” 

Sisi and Egypt’s head of the General Intelligence Service, Hassan Rashad, held a meeting with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder on Sunday, a day after Leiter’s remarks from January were published. The Egyptian readout of the meeting said that they “focused on ways to restore stability in the Middle East,” as well as Egypt’s part in mediating the current cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Sisi also “reiterated the critical need to launch the reconstruction process of the Gaza Strip, while categorically rejecting any forced displacement of its inhabitants from their lands,” and, according to the president’s spokesman, Lauder agreed.

Amira Oron, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv University, who was Israel’s ambassador to Egypt from June 2020 to September 2024 told JI, “Egypt will attack us if they are attacked, if their national security or sovereignty is attacked or in danger. We have a peace treaty. People have gone crazy. There is a foul wave [in Israel] against Egypt and there is also a foul wave in Egypt against us.” 

Amira Oron, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv University, was Israel’s ambassador to Egypt from June 2020 to September 2024 and watched almost a year of the war in Gaza from Cairo.

Oron argued that some Israelis “want to put out this incorrect message” that Egypt is belligerent, telling JI that some are taking too seriously “Egyptian social media and bloggers who want to show the power and force of Egypt.”

She criticized those “beating the drum of war,” pointing at Israeli journalists who cited a visit by the Egyptian Army’s top brass to the Sinai as a dangerous sign.

“Egypt will attack us if they are attacked, if their national security or sovereignty is attacked or in danger. We have a peace treaty. People have gone crazy,” Oron said. “There is a foul wave [in Israel] against Egypt and there is also a foul wave in Egypt against us.” 

From the Egyptian perspective, she said, “Egyptians see Israel as a powerful country that is above the law and does what it wants. They see cruelty in the response in Gaza and unprecedented killing and destruction. They want to tell Israel, ‘Don’t mess with us.’”

Israel’s presence in the Philadelphi Corridor is of special concern to Egyptians, because it’s on their border, Oron said.

Mariam Wahba, a research analyst focused on Egypt at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that the movement of tanks in Sinai is in part “a reaction from Cairo to what’s happening domestically,” where the war in Gaza has made “the Arab street more volatile in Cairo than it has been since the Arab Spring in 2011.”

“There is massive pressure on Sisi and his administration to react and respond to what is happening in Gaza,” Wahba said. “There is some logic to why the Egyptians would want to posture militarily in Sinai for domestic reasons.” 

According to Oron, the recent tensions between Israel and Egypt predate Oct. 7, 2023. 

“There has been no political-level dialogue between Israel and Egypt, not since this government was elected,” in November 2022, Oron said. “There have been no Sisi-Bibi calls because the Egyptians view the people in this government as right-wing extremists and don’t want a dialogue, so they stepped back.” 

“Before that, we were in excellent relations, reaching heights we hadn’t reached before. It was not a great love, but we were in a better place,” she added.

Mariam Wahba, a research analyst focused on Egypt at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI, “Some Israelis have sounded the alarm, like the ambassador … I don’t think it’s unfounded. The Egyptians need to be transparent, and that’s not going to happen soon, given the complexities of the cease-fire agreement … [and] Israelis can’t afford to be transparent in this moment.”

Oron said Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai began after Sisi took over and removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power. Under the Muslim Brotherhood, the gas pipeline between Israel and Egypt was attacked 16 times and there was cooperation between terrorists in Sinai and Hamas in Gaza. Sisi’s government asked Israel for authorization to circumvent the peace treaty to clear terrorists out of Sinai, and in some cases, the militaries worked together against ISIS.

“There is a system of authorization every month, for the number of tanks, armored personnel carriers and planes, which is coordinated with Israel,” Oron said. 

Wahba noted that Egypt has not released statements about the movement of tanks, naval ships and battalions, which was revealed via satellite images. Her research has found that “Egypt is in violation of the Camp David Accords, that is indisputable. I am tracking several things Egypt has done that, if confirmed, would constitute a break.” 

“Some Israelis have sounded the alarm, like the ambassador … I don’t think it’s unfounded,” she said. 

“The Egyptians need to be transparent, and that’s not going to happen soon, given the complexities of the cease-fire agreement … [and] Israelis can’t afford to be transparent in this moment,” she said.

Trump’s Gaza evacuation plan “shuffled the cards” and shocked Cairo, Oron said.

Sisi planned to present Trump with an alternative plan, which has turned into a broader Arab plan to be composed at a summit in Riyadh on Friday.

Oron pointed out that Sisi called evacuating Palestinians into Sinai a “red line” in October 2023, reflecting his view that doing so would hurt Egypt’s national security.

“The moment Palestinians who have experience with terrorism are moved, they bring [terrorism] to the place where they are,” she said. “We saw what happened when they were exiled to Jordan and moved to Lebanon … So Sisi says, if you want me to take these people in Sinai, we’ll have terrorist attacks from Egypt into Israel and Israel will respond. Then see what will happen to the peace agreement.” 

Wahba expressed concern that “the Egyptian plan is not going to be comprehensive enough and deal with Israeli concerns.”

“Their red line is no displacement, Gazans cannot leave Gaza,” she said. “What is worrying is if the plan will not have the means to address the demilitarization and governance of Gaza. Is Hamas in control? If not, is the Palestinian Authority? How will it work logistically?”

Wahba also pointed to the “ridiculous amount of tunnels from Gaza deep into Sinai” that Israel uncovered during the war and questioned how Cairo would address them. “If you read the Camp David Accords, it stated that both parties are responsible for terror activities that originate in their territories … This is unacceptable to Israelis and Americans, and Egypt has to provide answers. Egypt has to find a way forward to make sure tunnels are not reused by Hamas or any terror entity.” 

Oron, for her part, said that reports of tunnel “highways” from Gaza to Egypt were exaggerated and that most were blocked off in Sinai due to Egypt’s “serious work” flooding and sealing them beginning in 2018. She also argued that Israel did not demand Egypt do more to thwart the tunnels, and suggested that, going forward, Israel and Egypt should introduce more advanced technology to the Rafah Crossing and Philadelphi Corridor to prevent smuggling.

Wahba also noted that bulldozers and heavy equipment entering Gaza in recent days had Egyptian and Qatari flags on them. Qatar will also be part of the summit in Riyadh on Friday. 

“We know the Qataris are sponsors of Hamas. It doesn’t bode well to have the Qatari flag on bulldozers rebuilding Gaza,” she said.

Oron emphasized Egypt’s part in mediating the cease-fire, saying “it is in their interest for Gaza to calm down. Egypt doesn’t want to encourage Hamas; they dislike Hamas and understand its ambitions … They would be happy if [Hamas] all disappeared.”

In addition, Oron said that the war has hurt Egypt’s economy because the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have led to a 60% drop in passages through the Suez Canal and a $60 billion loss to Egypt.