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Relations between Israel and Egypt have entered a new phase of tension, with Cairo reportedly asking the United States to intervene to curb the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israel’s Channel 14.

The channel cited Israeli Middle East analyst Yoni Ben-Menachem, who said the dispute centres on Israeli military activity along the so-called “yellow line” inside the Gaza Strip and on changes Israel is making to the area’s geography. Egypt, he said, views these moves as a direct threat to its strategic and regional interests.

Ben-Menachem warned that Israeli-Egyptian relations are deteriorating rapidly and revealed that Washington recently attempted to organise a trilateral summit involving US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Netanyahu in an effort to contain the crisis.

According to the report, Egypt set several preconditions for the meeting that Israel rejected. These included a full Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, and immediate approval of a major gas agreement involving imports from Israel’s Leviathan gas field.

Ben-Menachem said Egypt has formally complained to Washington, accusing Israel of seeking to divide the Gaza Strip into two parts and of altering its demographic and topographical landscape—moves Cairo believes could undermine regional stability.

Egyptian concerns have reportedly intensified following comments by Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who described the “yellow line” as a new defensive and offensive military line. These remarks, Ben-Menachem said, were taken very seriously in Cairo.

Israeli military operations in the area, including the destruction of tunnel infrastructure and the demolition of homes, are being interpreted by Egypt as preparations for a long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza. This perception has prompted Cairo to pursue urgent diplomatic engagement with Washington.

Channel 14 added that while the United States did attempt to convene a trilateral summit in Washington, the initiative ultimately collapsed after Egypt insisted on conditions Israel deemed unacceptable.

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.