Israel perceived Algeria president’s Gaza aid remarks as ‘veiled threat’: media reports

Israel has reportedly perceived Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune offer to send aid to Gaza as soon as the borders between Egypt and the besieged Strip are open as a “veiled threat”, Israeli media outlets reported.

“If they open the borders between Egypt and Gaza, we know what to do. The army is ready as soon as the borders [Rafah crossing] are opened… we will build 3 hospitals within 20 days,” Tebboune said during a presidential campaign rally.

Israeli political analyst for Yedioth Ahronoth, Lior Ben Ari, said Tebboune’s words have been considered a “veiled threat”, igniting widespread reactions across the Arab world.

Tebboune added: “We will not abandon Palestine in general nor Gaza in particular.”

Ben Ari said the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on the social media uproar, noting the misunderstanding stemmed from an implication that he intended to dispatch troops to combat Israel.

Some social media users interpreted the remarks as calling on Egypt to “open the borders”, while others criticised the interpretations of his words.

For his part, Egyptian journalist Ahmed Moussa clarified the misunderstanding caused by Tebboune’s speech, saying he did not speak of deploying the Algerian army against Israel but rather about opening the border between Egypt and Gaza to transfer doctors to treat the wounded.

Dr. Tarek Fahmy, a political science lecturer in Cairo, told the newspaper that the timing of the statement is linked to “using the Palestinian issue in Algeria’s election process.”

He explained that the Palestinian issue resonates with Algerian voters, who care about it “like any Arab citizen”, and emphasised that Algeria’s attempt to play a role in Gaza might face technical obstacles, such as a lack of communication with Israel.

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