Israel and Egypt clash over reopening of Rafah border crossing

Israel and Egypt are at loggerheads at the Rafah border crossing, accusing each other of keeping the border closed as Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsens.

Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side of the crossing.

On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had conveyed to Britain and Germany “the need to persuade Egypt to reopen its borders.”

But Egypt claims that Israeli military operations in the region are blocking the passage of aid.

Cairo said Israel was trying to shift responsibility for blocking the aid.

Katz said the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which sparked the current war by attacking southern Israel on October 7 last year, could no longer “control the Rafah crossing” and said Israel had “uncompromising” security commitments. This was cited as a reason for the concern.

“While the world holds Israel responsible for the humanitarian situation, the key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now in the hands of our friends in Egypt,” Katz wrote in X.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry quickly responded to the comments with a statement emphasizing “the firm rejection of the policy adopted by Israel of distorting facts and denying responsibility.”

“Israel is responsible for the humanitarian disaster that Palestinians are currently enduring in the Gaza Strip,” Shukri said, adding that “Israel is responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe that Palestinians are currently enduring in the Gaza Strip,” and that this is “the latest indiscriminate atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians over a period of more than seven months.” “This is a direct result,” he said.

He called on Israel to “assume its legal responsibilities as an occupying power by allowing aid access through land ports under its control.”

Egypt has been one of the mediators in the stalled ceasefire negotiations, but relations with Israel have been strained since Israel seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on May 7.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he was “appalled by the increased military activity by the Israel Defense Forces in the Rafah area.”

He reiterated his call for a ceasefire and the opening of the Rafah border, saying: “These developments further impede humanitarian access and exacerbate an already dire situation.

“At the same time, Hamas continues to fire rockets indiscriminately. Civilians, both in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza, must be respected and protected at all times. For the people of Gaza, where is safe now? Nor.”

The United Nations and international aid agencies said the closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings between Israel and southern Gaza effectively cut off the Gaza Strip from outside aid.

Last week, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said it was Israel's obligation to keep the Rafah border open and operating effectively.

In early May, U.N. food agency chief Cindy McCain said she believed there was “full-scale famine” in northern Gaza and that it was “moving south.”

The Israeli military agency Kogat, which is tasked with coordinating aid access in Gaza, said in its latest update that 64 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, significantly more than the number of trucks per day since April. announced that it had been reduced.

Also on Sunday, Egypt announced it would intervene in support of South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), citing Israel's expansion of military activity in the Gaza Strip and its impact on civilians. did.

South Africa on Friday asked the ICJ to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as an additional emergency step in the incident, accusing Israel of genocide.

Israel said it would proceed with its planned military operation in Rafah, despite warnings from the United States and other allies that a ground attack could result in mass civilian casualties.

Israeli forces will move residents of Rafah to al-Mawashi, a narrow coastal area that Israel calls an “extended humanitarian zone,” and to Khan Yunis, which is largely in ruins from a previous Israeli invasion. I instructed him to do so.

According to Israeli authorities, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 were taken hostage.

More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-controlled region's health ministry.