In a recent article published by the Israeli newspaper “Channel 13”, it is revealed that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently tried to arrange a call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, but was refused.
The last call between Netanyahu and Sisi was last June, following the attack on the Egyptian border.
This comes at a time of major disagreements with Egypt over Israel’s operations along the Philadelphia axis, according to the TV station.
The channel added that a senior official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed the details, but no official comment was made.
The Israeli newspaper “Maariv” calls Sisi’s refusal to receive a call from Netanyahu a “sign of the deep crisis between Egypt and Israel.”
He describes this refusal as “a serious escalation” in the deterioration of relations between the two countries and asserts that the war in Gaza has jeopardized Israeli-Egyptian relations.
He says the crisis is likely to continue until the disagreement over the Philadelphia axis is resolved.
Egypt has responded to Israel’s allegations that arms smuggling operations are taking place through trucks carrying aid and goods to the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, calling them of “empty and ridiculous nonsense”.
In this article, it is clear that relations between Israel and Egypt are in deep crisis, with major disagreements over operations along the Philadelphia axis. This crisis appears to be exacerbated by the war in Gaza.
It remains to be seen how this situation will evolve and whether the two countries will manage to resolve their differences to restore more harmonious relations.