Report: IDF, Shin Bet chiefs visited Cairo with assurances Gazans won’t be pushed across Egypt’s border

Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar visited Cairo last week to give assurances to Egyptian officials that any military offensive into Rafah will not push Palestinians across the border into Egypt, the Axios news site reports.

The report, citing two American officials, says the two senior Israeli officials met with their Egyptian counterparts to discuss Israel’s planning for the proposed offensive.

Israel says it will move into Rafah to eliminate the last Hamas stronghold. It also believes that some of the hostages and Hamas leaders are in Rafah.

There is widespread international opposition to the operation amid fears for the fate of more than 1 million displaced Palestinians who are sheltering in Rafah.

Egypt has also repeatedly warned that Israeli moves that force displaced Palestinians into Egypt could undermine the peace treaty between Jerusalem and Cairo.