Who Is Really Trapping the Civilians of Gaza?

As the war in Gaza drags on, much of the world remains fixated on Israel’s every move — its military operations, its blockade policies, its alleged disregard for civilian life. The most severe accusation, echoed in international courtrooms and protests from London to Los Angeles, is that Israel is committing genocide. But is this accusation grounded in reality — or is it a calculated piece of propaganda that ignores critical regional dynamics, particularly the role of Egypt and other Arab states?

At the heart of the discussion is the blockade of Gaza — often referred to as an Israeli blockade, full stop. Rarely mentioned is that Gaza is also bordered by Egypt, and Egypt has long kept its Rafah Crossing sealed, or at best, heavily restricted [^1]. In moments of humanitarian catastrophe, why does Egypt — an Arab, Muslim-majority nation — continue to block entry to refugees, particularly women, children, and the sick?

The Role of Egypt and the Arab World

The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s southern exit, the only one not directly controlled by Israel. Yet Egypt has refused to fully open it, even amid catastrophic humanitarian need [^2]. The nearest Egyptian hospital from Rafah is in El Arish, approximately 50 kilometers away [^3]. For women in labor, wounded civilians, or starving children, this could be the difference between life and death.

The international community pressures Israel relentlessly to open its borders. But where is the outrage over Egypt’s refusal to accept civilians seeking refuge? Where are the calls for Qatar, Turkey, or Jordan to take in displaced Palestinians — even temporarily?

Some speculate that Egypt fears the political destabilization that could come with absorbing large numbers of Palestinians, many of whom are linked — even indirectly — to Hamas, the Islamist terror organization with historic ties to Egypt’s own banned Muslim Brotherhood [^4]. But allowing mothers with infants or malnourished children into hospitals is not the same as opening the floodgates for unchecked migration. Vetting is possible. Humanitarian corridors are possible. What’s lacking is the will.

Hamas: Shielding Behind Civilians

What Israel is facing in Gaza is not simply an urban battlefield. It’s a battleground built — deliberately — on top of and within civilian infrastructure. Schools, hospitals, mosques, and apartment buildings double as command centers and weapons depots for Hamas [^5]. And yet, Al Jazeera and other media outlets — often state-sponsored — air an unending stream of imagery focusing solely on civilian casualties, never showing the rocket launches from school courtyards or the entrances to terror tunnels in UN buildings [^6].

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, EU, UK, and others [^7], thrives in this asymmetric warfare. Its entire strategy depends on cynically weaponizing civilian suffering. This makes it nearly impossible for Israel to defend itself without triggering an avalanche of international condemnation. It’s a public relations trap — one Hamas designed with precision and one much of the global media willingly steps into.

The Propaganda Machine

Al Jazeera, headquartered in Doha and funded by the government of Qatar, has become a powerful mouthpiece for this narrative. It portrays Palestinians exclusively as victims and Israel as their cruel occupier, rarely addressing the nuances of how aid is diverted by Hamas, how civilians are prevented from evacuating, and how internal dissent in Gaza is crushed [^8].

Even as humanitarian aid is sent in, the reality is grim: much of it is stolen or taxed by Hamas, with reports indicating that vital food, medicine, and fuel are resold at exorbitant prices or stockpiled for terrorists [^9]. Sporadic reports in Israeli and American outlets describe brave civilians protesting against Hamas rule, but such protests are rare for a tragic reason — they are often met with violent suppression, including extrajudicial killings  [^10].

Where Is the Arab Solidarity?

The world has seen refugee flows in almost every conflict. Syrians fled to Europe, Afghans to Pakistan and Iran, Ukrainians to Poland and Romania. But Gaza? Nowhere to go. Not to neighboring Egypt. Not to Jordan. Not to Qatar, whose lavish hotels and skyscrapers housing Hamas leaders are far removed from the blood and rubble of Gaza.

This begs the question: If the Arab world will not shelter Gaza’s civilians, who will? And if they won’t — despite their shared religion, language, and culture — why is all the responsibility falling on the state of Israel?

A Call for Accountability — and Honesty

The people of Gaza are suffering, and that is undeniable. But the question must be asked: Who is truly prolonging their suffering? Is it Israel, attempting to dismantle a terror regime that slaughtered its civilians on October 7? Or is it Hamas, who built its kingdom on the graves of the very people it claims to represent? Is it Egypt, sealing its gates shut while blaming Israel from afar? Is it the broader Arab world, happy to weaponize Palestinian suffering but unwilling to share the burden?

Until we begin to ask these questions — out loud — the cycle will continue.

Humanitarian solutions are not only Israel’s burden. If the international community wants to alleviate suffering in Gaza, it should demand that Egypt open Rafah, that Hamas stop using civilians as shields, and that Qatar and other nations that fund this conflict open their doors.

Anything less is not justice. It’s hypocrisy.

Footnotes

1. The New York Times, “Egypt Keeps Gaza Border Mostly Closed Despite Humanitarian Crisis,” Nov 2023. ↩
   
2. Reuters, “Egypt restricts Rafah Crossing to limited medical evacuations,” Jan 2024. ↩
   
3. Google Maps / WHO Data – El Arish General Hospital is approx. 50 km from Rafah Crossing. ↩
   
4. The Washington Institute, “Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood: A Shared Origin,” 2017. ↩
   
5. IDF Reports and Satellite Imagery, “Hamas Military Infrastructure in Civilian Areas,” Oct 2023. ↩
   
6. UNRWA, “We found weapons in schools again,” 2021–2023 incidents. ↩
   
7. U.S. State Department Foreign Terrorist Organization List, EU Terror Sanctions List. ↩
   
8. BBC, “Al Jazeera and State-Sponsored Media in the Arab World,” 2020. ↩
   
9. Wall Street Journal, “Aid Hijacked by Hamas Militants,” Dec 2023. ↩
   
10. Haaretz, “Palestinians Protest Hamas Rule; Leaders Executed without Trial,” Feb 2024.