Egypt renews call for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza’s Rafah crossing

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt renewed its call on Thursday for Israel’s troop withdrawal from the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority to run the terminal.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met in Cairo with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

The top diplomat expressed Egypt’s deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza “following 10 months of systematic Israeli targeting and aggression against the Palestinians," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The military escalation in Rafah and Israel's control of the Palestinian side of the crossing led to the suspension of the entry of aid,” he added.

On May 7, the Israeli army seized control of the Rafah crossing, a vital route to humanitarian aid into Gaza, exacerbating the already bad humanitarian conditions in the battered territory.

Kaag, for her part, stressed keenness to working with Egypt on the delivery of aid into Gaza and the post-war reconstruction of the enclave.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire that allows a prisoner swap between Israelis and Palestinians.

So far, efforts by the three countries to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

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 attack by Hamas.

Over 38,800 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 89,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

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

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar