The ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has sparked tensions between Israel and its neighbor Egypt. Egypt has threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel and close off the main aid supply route to the Gaza Strip if Israeli troops enter the border town of Rafah. This move comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that sending troops into Rafah is necessary to win the four-month-old war against Hamas.
Rafah, a densely populated Gaza border town, has become a refuge for over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people who have fled from other areas to escape the violence. The town is now filled with sprawling tent camps and U.N.-run shelters near the border. Egypt is concerned that a mass influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees into Rafah could lead to a situation where they may never be allowed to return.
