Report: Egypt fears that the US will demand that it supply water to Israel and Gaza

According to a report in the Lebanese “Al-Akhbar” newspaper, which is close to Hezbollah, the concerns in Cairo are now focused on the nature of the agreement that Washington is trying to forge and the political or economic price that Egypt will be required to pay. Egyptian sources told the newspaper that the main concerns revolve around two main points raised by American officials indirectly. The first and sensitive point concerns the proposals for the flow of Nile water to the Gaza Strip and Israel in the future, an idea that Cairo considers unrealistic for implementation. The second point refers to the granting of free passage rights to American military and commercial ships in the Suez Canal.

During the meeting, Trump emphasized his willingness to act as a mediator to bring an end to the political and security dispute that is clouding relations in the Horn of Africa and the Nile Basin. The American initiative comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between the countries concerned, when the dam issue is seen in Cairo and Khartoum as a significant strategic threat.

The American involvement comes against the background of a deadlock in negotiations between the countries since August 2024, when Ethiopia completed the storage of about 75 billion cubic meters of water in the dam lake, a move that created noticeable changes in the flow patterns. President Trump was also involved in the issue in his first term, when he decided to freeze aid to Ethiopia in the estimated amount of about 272 million dollars following what was defined as Ethiopian stubbornness in negotiations, a step that was later canceled by the Biden administration. Now, despite al-Sisi’s gratitude for President Trump’s involvement, Egypt is preparing for the possibility that the mediation will not come without a significant strategic return.