At the end of three days of escalation in Gaza, Egypt once again proved its skill as a mediator, achieved a quick ceasefire, and was praised by all sides. Israel thanked President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his efforts; the Palestinian Authority expressed its appreciation to the Egyptian President for coming to the aid of the Palestinian people; and US President Joe Biden congratulated el-Sisi for his central role in the diplomatic achievement.
The ceasefire agreement was made possible thanks to three Egyptian successes. First, it prevented Hamas from joining the campaign; had this occurred a limited conflict might well have transitioned to an all-out campaign. The Egyptian leverage of influence on Hamas, including the operation of the border crossings in Rafah, the supply of goods and fuel to Gaza, and the advanceof the reconstruction process in the Strip played a restraining role in the face of the volatile situation.
Second, the increasing coordination between Egypt and Qatar, which reflected the rapprochement in the bilateral relations over the past year and a half, has given Cairo more diverse channels of influence on the actors involved, primarily Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Iran. Instead of competing for the role of mediator as in Operation Protective Edge, Egypt and Qatar have learned to work together to balance the equation of sticks and carrots – political and financial – at their disposal.
Third, Egypt's willingness to work for the release of the Islamic Jihad detainees, Khalil Awawdeh and Bassam al-Saadi, gave the organization a ladder to climb down from the tree and comply with the terms of the ceasefire. However, there are still question marks regarding Islamic Jihad's response in the event that its expectations regarding the release of the detainees are not met, and regarding a possible impact of differences of opinion on this issue on Israel-Egypt relations.
At the end of three days of escalation in Gaza, Egypt once again proved its skill as a mediator, achieved a quick ceasefire, and was praised by all sides. Israel thanked President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his efforts; the Palestinian Authority expressed its appreciation to the Egyptian President for coming to the aid of the Palestinian people; and US President Joe Biden congratulated el-Sisi for his central role in the diplomatic achievement.
The ceasefire agreement was made possible thanks to three Egyptian successes. First, it prevented Hamas from joining the campaign; had this occurred a limited conflict might well have transitioned to an all-out campaign. The Egyptian leverage of influence on Hamas, including the operation of the border crossings in Rafah, the supply of goods and fuel to Gaza, and the advanceof the reconstruction process in the Strip played a restraining role in the face of the volatile situation.
Second, the increasing coordination between Egypt and Qatar, which reflected the rapprochement in the bilateral relations over the past year and a half, has given Cairo more diverse channels of influence on the actors involved, primarily Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Iran. Instead of competing for the role of mediator as in Operation Protective Edge, Egypt and Qatar have learned to work together to balance the equation of sticks and carrots – political and financial – at their disposal.
Third, Egypt's willingness to work for the release of the Islamic Jihad detainees, Khalil Awawdeh and Bassam al-Saadi, gave the organization a ladder to climb down from the tree and comply with the terms of the ceasefire. However, there are still question marks regarding Islamic Jihad's response in the event that its expectations regarding the release of the detainees are not met, and regarding a possible impact of differences of opinion on this issue on Israel-Egypt relations.