After El-Sisi came to power in 2013, Egypt’s ruling elites have generally accepted Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, including their partial annexation. This position is the result of the simple calculation that Israeli energy supplies, security cooperation with Israel and credit with the US and the Arab states on the Persian Gulf are much more crucial to regime maintenance than greater support for the Palestinians, or a more confrontational policy towards Israel. Apart from slowly increasing Egypt’s dependence on Israel, this policy has carried significant costs since 7 October 2023. While Cairo managed to resist the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s Palestinians into the Sinai, it has otherwise been an event taker. As such, it will be confronted with a humanitarian catastrophe on its doorstep, and a possible permanent Israeli military occupation of parts of Gaza in the near future. As long as short-term interests of Egypt’s military regime prevail—survival and power consolidation—it will sacrifice Palestinian interests to good relations with Israel.