Israel and Egypt row over reopening Rafah border crossing

[Pelican Press 0]

******* and Egypt row over reopening Rafah border crossing

******* and Egypt are locked in a row over the Rafah border crossing, blaming each other for its continued closure as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens.

******** forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the crossing.

On Tuesday *******’s Foreign Minister ******* Katz said he had told the *** and Germany about “the need to persuade Egypt to reopen” the crossing.

But Egypt says it is *******’s military operations in the area which are preventing aid from passing through.

Cairo said ******* was trying to shift the blame for blocked aid.

Mr Katz said the ************ armed group ******, which attacked southern ******* on 7 October last year, sparking the current war, could no longer “control the Rafah crossing”, citing security concerns over which ******* “will not compromise”.

“The world places the responsibility for the humanitarian situation on *******, but the key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now in the hands of our Egyptian friends,” Mr Katz wrote on X.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry quickly responded to the comments with a statement that said ******* was responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and that the ******** military’s actions in the Rafah area were blocking aid.

The country has been one of the mediators in stalled ceasefire talks, but its relationship with ******* has been strained since ******* seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on 7 May.

Almost 450,000 Palestinians have fled from Rafah over the past week after the ******** military moved into the area, the UN says. ******** tanks are reportedly pushing deeper into Rafah city, which is to the north of the border crossing.

António Guterres, UN secretary-General, said in a statement that he was “appalled by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the ******** Defense Forces”.

Reiterating calls for a ceasefire and for the Rafah crossing to be opened, he continued: “These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and worsening an already dire situation.

“At the same time, ****** goes on ******* rockets indiscriminately. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times, in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza. For people in Gaza, nowhere is safe now.”

The UN and international aid agencies said closures of the Rafah crossing and the Kerem Shalom crossing between ******* and southern Gaza had virtually cut the Gaza strip off from outside aid.

Last week, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was *******’s duty to keep the Rafah crossing open and running effectively.

In early May, Cindy McCain, head of the UN food agency, said she believed there was a “full-blown famine” in northern Gaza that was “moving its way south”.

In its most recent update, Cogat – the ******** military agency tasked with coordinating aid access in Gaza – said 64 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, significantly down on the daily number of trucks that entered in April.

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