Egypt denies agreeing to participate in UN force for Gaza crossings

By Ibrahim Khazin

CAIRO (AA) - Egypt dismissed on Wednesday reports of its participation in a potential UN-organized Arab force to control Gaza border crossings.

"There is no truth to the rumors circulated by some news websites regarding Egypt's agreement to participate in an Arab force under the United Nations to control the crossings with the Gaza Strip," a senior Egyptian official was quoted as saying by the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel.

Egypt has also refused to coordinate with Israel on the Rafah crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid into Gaza, since Tel Aviv captured the Palestinian side of the terminal last month.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 37,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​