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    Why Egypt won't allow vulnerable Palestinians across its border

    Egypt's empty Sinai Peninsula would offer safety for Palestinian civilians. But Egypt fears refugees might never be allowed back, citing the painful history of earlier Israeli-Palestinian wars.
    by Greg Myre Feb 26, 2024 4 minutes
    This Feb. 18 satellite photo shows displaced Palestinians crammed into southern Gaza on the right. Israel is threatening to attack the border town of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are now living. On the left is the left is the vast, empty expanse of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Egypt says it won't allow Palestinians into Egypt because it fears they might not be allowed back into Gaza.

    The satellite photo above captures the stark nature of the crisis on the Gaza-Egypt border.

    On the right, more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are squeezed into tent camps on the Gaza side of the border, seeking shelter from Israel's ongoing offensive. On the left is Egypt's vast, thinly populated Sinai Peninsula, where the tightly controlled frontier has a heavy security presence.

    This territory could provide a temporary safe haven for Palestinians from Gaza, where more than 29,000 people have been killed and nearly 70,000 wounded since the war began in October, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

    Egypt, however, has warned against an influx of refugees. It facilitates humanitarian aid into Gaza, but has said a mass exodus of Palestinians out of Gaza

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