No, Egypt hasn’t started a war with Israel

A week after Israel declared war on Hamas in response to the militant group’s attack, social media posts are claiming Egypt has joined the conflict, too, 

An Oct. 16 Facebook video’s title and caption claimed, "Egypt is now at war with Israel! Tanks are entering Gaza! Arab countries vow revenge."

The nearly nine-minute video said the Egyptian government has deployed troops, armored vehicles and tanks to the Gaza border and armed Egyptians have "infiltrated" Israel.

(Screengrab from Facebook)

Another Facebook video, shared Oct. 14 from the same account, made a similar claim about Egypt "joining the Israeli war."

These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

We found no credible news reports or government declarations that Egypt is now at war with Israel. The videos provided no evidence to support this claim.

In reality, what’s waiting at the Gaza-Egypt border are thousands of pounds of humanitarian aid supplies. More than 100 trucks carrying food, water, fuel and medical supplies have been waiting days to cross safely into Gaza.

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Days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Israel shut down two of three Gaza border crossings, leaving Rafah at Gaza’s southern border with Egypt as the only access point for humanitarian aid, the BBC reported.

But the Egyptian government said Israeli airstrikes have prevented aid from reaching Gaza, The Washington Post reported.

The Post also reported that the United States has been talking with the United Nations, Egypt and Israel about allowing foreign aid in and getting U.S. citizens out of Gaza but no agreement has been reached.

The World Health Organization and other humanitarian groups have warned that the situation in Gaza is dire and these supplies are needed immediately.

Although Egypt has been involved in these efforts to get humanitarian aid to Gaza, there is no evidence the country is at war with Israel. We rate this claim False.