Egypt renews rejection of Israeli military presence at Gaza corridors

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt on Monday renewed its rejection of Israeli military presence at the Rafah crossing and Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Gaza.

"Egypt rejects the Israeli military presence on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid,” Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a meeting in Cairo with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of a conference for Gaza humanitarian response.

The Israeli army captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza in May during its offensive on Rafah city. The terminal is a vital route for humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been under a crippling blockade since 2007.

Tel Aviv has rejected Egyptian calls to withdraw forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized zone on Egypt-Gaza border.

Abdelatty underlined the importance of rallying international efforts to allow access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting, the top Egyptian diplomat and UN official discussed Egypt’s efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last October, killing more than 44,400 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,000.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar