After Israeli finance minister appears to threaten Egypt, el-Sisi says his country has 'no hidden agenda’
Controversy started by comments about land seizure as means of deterrence
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi responded Thursday to a comment by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Egypt would lose the Sinai Peninsula if it attacked Israel.
Minister Smotrich’s comments came in an interview with the ultra-Orthodox website Hashtiblach, in which he was asked about future threats to Israel.
In the interview, Smotrich was directly asked about Israeli deterrence regarding its neighbors, where he argued that Israel’s ability to seize and hold land even after the end of the conflict is one of its deterrents, which should be used in its current conflicts.
“If a war ends at the same lines where it began, what incentive does the enemy have not to start a war?” Smotrich asked. “It’s a ‘try-your-luck’ approach: if it works, great; if it doesn't, no harm done – after all, they don't care about casualties or destruction.”
“What will keep Egypt from attacking us?” he asked. “They know that if they attack, there will be no Sinai.”
“We aren't going back to that – there is no Begin [the Israeli prime minister who made the peace agreement with Egypt in which Israel returned the Sinai],” Smotrich continued. “That is why I proposed – at the very least – establishing sovereignty over half of Gaza by tomorrow morning, and doing the same in Lebanon, up to a depth of 8, 9, or 12 kilometers. Folks, you aren't going back. Why? Because you started this with us, and this is the price of war.”
However, Smotrich’s comments were interpreted in Egypt as a threat to the nation or even a “threat to wipe out the Sinai.”
Ahmed Moussa, a host of a popular program on the Sada El-Balad channel, warned that “if Israel acts recklessly, there will be no Israeli entity.” He said that any threat to the Sinai would lead to a direct confrontation with Egypt, warning, “What happened in 1967 [the Six-Day War] will not happen again.”
Another prominent Egyptian presenter, Amr Adib was even harsher, warning, “Before you throw us into the sea, you will end up in the sewer.”
“There will be no Tel Aviv, no Ben Gurion Airport, and no Netanyahu,” he added.
However, President el-Sisi was more restrained Wednesday morning, addressing a memorial event marking the 53rd anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
“I heard the statement of one of the Israeli officials when he spoke about how we’re not going to fight because we’re afraid for the Sinai,” el-Sisi said. “So I want to ask him, ‘Who told you we want to fight?’”
“We don’t have an agenda against anyone,” el-Sisi continued. “We have our land, we fought to take it, and that’s it.”
🇪🇬🇮🇱 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi responds to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks that Egypt would not go to war for fear of losing Sinai: “Who said we wanted to go to war? We have no agenda against anyone. We fought to get our land back, and we did. That’s settled. Are you still gripped by the same paranoia from 60 years ago? Do you still think we want your land? My only goal is to protect my country, its borders and its territory. As long as we respect each other’s territory, Sinai is ours and our borders are secure, we have no hidden agenda against anyone.”
— Egypt's Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) October 14, 2026
El-Sisi also said that the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries “serves as the framework governing relations between the two countries.”
He also questioned whether elements in Israel hold “baseless perceptions or concerns” about possible Egytian territorial ambitions toward Israel.
El-Sisi stated that “Egypt’s primary and ultimate goal is to maintain its security and stability, and to protect the resources and interests of its people.”
Israel and Egypt have had relatively cool relations since the 1979 peace treaty, and those relations were tested during the Oct. 7 Gaza War, with Egypt frequently protesting Israeli actions.
At the same time, the buildup of Egyptian military units in the Sinai Peninsula, both before and during that war caused significant concern among Israeli security officials.
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