Egypt threatens to suspend key peace treaty if Israel pushes into Rafah

Rafah (Gaza Strip): Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, where it says fighting could force the closure of the besieged territory's main aid supply route, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said on Sunday.

The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a halfcentury, came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sending troops into Rafah was necessary to win the four-month war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have fled to Rafah to escape fighting in other areas, and they are packed into sprawling tent camps and UN-run shelters near the border.

Egypt fears an influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who may never be allowed to return. (AP)