Photo published by the Egyptian Presidency shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (R) in a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Cairo on March 17, 2024.

Cairo, March 17 (RHC)-- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has reiterated that his country is opposed to any plan to forcefully displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.  Sisi said in a Sunday meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen that Egypt would not allow forced displacement of the Palestinians outside their land after reports suggested that the Israeli regime is still seeking to expel people from Gaza amid its brutal war on the territory.

“President El-Sisi stressed the necessity of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinians outside their land and that it would not allow it,” said a statement from the Egyptian Presidency after the meeting.

The statement came as the number of people killed in more than five months of Israeli aggression in Gaza reached 31,645 on Sunday based on figures provided by the government in Gaza which is led by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

Israeli intelligence reports leaked in the early stages of the war on Gaza suggested officials in the regime were seeking to implement a plan to forcefully relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to tent camps in the neighboring Sinai region in Egypt.

Cairo showed its outright rejection to the plans while beefing up security along its borders to prevent any spillover of the conflict from Gaza.  The meeting between Sisi and Von der Leyen came as part of an Egyptian-European Summit in Cairo which many hope could facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza via Egypt.

Along with Qatar and the United States, Egypt has been a mediator in weeks of unsuccessful negotiations between Hamas and the Israeli regime to work out a ceasefire in Gaza.