Egypt has granted permanent residency to several Palestinian faction leaders who were expelled from Syria earlier this year by the new government of President Ahmad al-Sharra, reportedly under pressure from the United States.
Among those granted residency are Ziad Nakhaleh, Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Jamil Mazhar, Deputy Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Egyptian authorities are also reviewing the case of Dr. Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), a splinter faction of the PFLP.
The crackdown on Palestinian groups in Syria began following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad. Al-Sharra’s government has pursued a policy of detaining faction leaders, demanding the disarmament of armed groups operating in Palestinian refugee camps, and restricting their political influence. Dr. Naji was briefly detained and ordered to leave Syria in May 2025. Earlier, on April 18, 2025, Khaled Khaled, head of PIJ operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, head of the PIJ organizational committee, were detained and reportedly remain in custody.
Hamas, which opposed Assad during the Syrian civil war and relocated its headquarters to Doha, Qatar, had already withdrawn its fighters from Syria prior to the events of October 7, 2023. Recent reports suggest that Qatar, under Western pressure, has informed Hamas it is no longer welcome in the country, fueling speculation that its leadership may relocate to Egypt, where it already maintains an office.
The expulsion of Palestinian groups from Syria reflects a wider regional trend. Lebanon’s new pro-Western government has recently demanded the disarmament of Palestinian factions operating within its borders. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has also called for their disarmament. However, most factions in Lebanon have resisted, only surrendering so-called “illegal weapons” to the Lebanese army in a move widely viewed as symbolic rather than substantive.