Egypt’s defense minister calls for Gaza truce amid Israeli onslaught

By Abdul Salam Fayez

CAIRO (AA) – Egypt’s defense minister called on Tuesday for a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

The call came hours after Israeli army forces seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki met in Cairo with Gen. Michael Kurilla, Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

Talks between the two sides dwelt on issues of mutual concern “amid the current regional and international developments, especially the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip,'' a military statement said.

Zaki emphasized "the importance of coordinating efforts between all active forces in the international community to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, and to intensify aid flow through the Rafah border crossing,” the statement said.

Kurilla, for his part, hailed “Egypt’s pivotal role in achieving security, stability, and balance in the region, especially in Gaza," the statement said.

He reiterated the US commitment to “supporting the strategic partnership and continuous coordination between the Egyptian and American armed forces," it added.

The Rafah border crossing is a vital route for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which has been under a crippling Israeli siege since last Oct. 7 that left the territory’s population on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli army said early Tuesday that its 401st armored brigade seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.

Army footage showed Israeli tanks rolling through the area and the Israeli flag raised on the Gaza side.

A spokesman of the Palestinian border crossing authority confirmed that the border terminal was closed from the Palestinian side.

The Israeli takeover of the terminal came hours after Hamas said it had accepted a Gaza cease-fire proposal drawn by Qatar and Egypt.

Israel, however, said the truce offer accepted by Hamas did not meet its key demands and decided to push ahead with an operation in Rafah in order to apply what it said "military pressure on Hamas with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims.”

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul