Egypt Security Sector Report
In this week’s dispatch, I look into Cairo’s Palestine diplomacy, Egyptian military war crimes in Sinai, the country’s debt crisis and its impact on Sisi’s geopolitical influence, arms imports, the police charm offensive campaign, the mukhabarat media woes, Organi’s expanding business empire, refugees, and the militarization of urban planning and sports.
📁 Palestine
Less than a week after hosting the extraordinary Arab Summit on Gaza, Cairo has secured considerable support for plans to reconstruct the Strip without displacing its inhabitants. According to a study by Forensic Architecture, however, Egypt’s Gaza plan “includes an architectural master plan that carries forward key elements of Israel’s designed destruction of Gaza with its proposal for (1) a ‘buffer zone’, (2) security corridors, and (3) raid routes.” By favoring simple, easily monitored housing blocks, the plan dismantles the intricate layout of Gaza’s neighborhoods, traditionally used by Palestinians to resist control.
1-Buffer zone: The plan incorporates Israel’s ongoing demolition of all structures within 1-1.5km of Gaza’s perimeter, rezoning historically significant neighborhoods for agricultural, industrial, and investment purposes.2-Security corridors: It adopts the 6km-wide Israeli barrier along Wadi Gaza and further expands the buffer zone near Egypt’s border.
3-Raid routes: Provisions extend existing Israeli raid routes into Gaza, allowing deeper incursions from Israeli bases to the sea.
Over 3,500 Palestinians arrived in Egypt through the Rafah Crossing, including more than 2,000 requiring medical treatment, since the start of the ceasefire, Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, said on Tuesday.
FM Badr Abdelatty and his Arab counterparts discussed the Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction with US envoy Steve Witkoff in a meeting in Doha on Wednesday.
Sisi and the army senior brass met with officers and cadets over iftar at the Egyptian Military Academy Wednesday. The president defended Cairo’s diplomatic role amid the regional turmoil, and called on the nation to unite behind his political leadership.
Trump said Wednesday, “Nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,” in reference to his earlier proposed Gaza resettlement plan. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed on Thursday Cairo’s “appreciation” of his statements.
AP reported Friday that the US and Israel have reached out to Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland as possible locations to resettle Palestinians displaced from Gaza under President Trump’s proposed plan. The initiative, which includes incentives such as financial aid and diplomatic support, has been widely condemned, with Sudan rejecting the idea outright, and officials in Somalia and Somaliland denying any knowledge of the discussions.
The Israeli army said Saturday it foiled an attempt to smuggle an AK-47 into Israel from Egypt using a drone.
A missile fired by the Houthis early yesterday intended for Israel landed instead near Sharm el-Sheikh, the Israeli army radio reported. Nothing was reported in Egyptian media.
Israeli negotiators arrived in Egypt to continue ceasefire talks, the Netanyahu’s office announced yesterday.
Sisi visited yesterday the Police Academy, had iftar with the cadets, held a prayer, and gave a speech praising Cairo’s regional diplomacy and the “cohesion of the homefront” against rumors and subversive ideas.
Trade between Egypt and Israel surged in 2024, with a 21.3% increase reported by Egypt’s official statistics agency, CAPMAS. Despite the Gaza genocide, bilateral trade reached $3.2 billion, up from $2.64 billion the previous year.
📁 Sisi Honors Militia Member Accused of War Crimes
The Sinai Foundation for Human Rights has strongly condemned Sisi for honoring a deceased militia member, who had been implicated in extrajudicial killings in Sinai, during an army “educational seminar” held Tuesday to mark Martyrs Day.
The individual in question, Ibrahim Hamad Ibrahim—part of the army’s Manadib in Sheikh Zuwayid—was previously caught on video executing detainees at point-blank range—actions widely regarded as war crimes. Despite the clear evidence and his identification, no investigations were ever launched against him, and he continued working with the military until his death in May 2022.