Egypt's key role in Gaza: A long-debated solution reemerges

There have been talks for a while about Egypt's pivotal role in resolving the Gaza issue.

In 2000, the then-chief of planning for the Israeli army, Giora Eiland, proposed annexing a part of Rafah to El-Arish, measuring 24 km in length on the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula and 20 km in width.

The total would be 720 km when combined with the Gaza Strip, officially providing relief to the Gaza population, allowing them to expand and alleviating the pressure on Israel.

This proposal has resurfaced recently in various forms.

Now, the United States is requesting that Egypt open the Rafah crossing for humanitarian reasons, to allow Palestinians to move to a safer place, and to avoid the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza that could benefit Hamas and other factions.

Egypt categorically rejected this proposal, insisting that its territory be used only for delivering medical and food aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.

There has been a plan mentioned recently that no one has officially adopted, suggesting that Gaza's people could be relocated to Sinai in exchange for clearing Egyptian debts and supporting its struggling economy.

This proposal was discussed in 2012 in Washington with the participation of representatives from several countries, including Egypt.

Furthermore, it revolves around land exchanges, opening borders between Gaza and Egypt, extending 40 kilometers along the Mediterranean coast from the current border point to El-Arish, and building roads, including connections to Jordan.

The plan also suggests that this area could be a place to end the Palestinian diaspora and allow the return of refugees in exchange for a payment of 100 billion dollars to Egypt and a portion of the Negev Desert.

As the second week of the Al-Aqsa Flood begins, will the military war continue, or could similar proposals for a solution like this emerge?