Report: Egypt's strident opposition to Rafah operation due to Egyptian complicity in Hamas arms smuggling

Egypt's increasingly strident opposition to the IDF's expanding operation in Rafah, including threatening the sanctity of the peace treaty and joining South Africa's call for the Hague to issue an emergency injunction against the operation, may be due to fear of Egypt's complicity in Hamas arms smuggling will be exposed, according to Channel 14 reporter Almog Boker.

Boker, who posted his report on X, says that some in Israel believe that the massive quantity of arms found in Hamas hands when Operation Swords of Iron was launched could only have come via smuggling through tunnels connecting Egypt to Gaza, and that it is highly unlikely Egypt did not know of this smuggling.

One report by Channel 14 reporter Baruch Yadid said that Egyptian President a-Sisi's son made a fortune from being involved in Hamas' smuggling operation.

Another theory runs that Egypt allowed the smuggling to take place so that the Muslim Brotherhood, with whom Hamas is affiliated, would keep the peace within Egypt itself.