Egypt requires Israel’s withdrawal from the Rafah crossing to restart it

Hassan Al-Warfalli (Cairo)

During a tripartite meeting that included American and Israeli officials, Egypt demanded the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Rafah crossing to restart it, and held Tel Aviv responsible.
The Egyptian official Middle East News Agency said that Cairo insisted, during the meeting, on the necessity of Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing so that its operation could resume.
The agency noted that the Egyptian security delegation affirmed Israel’s full responsibility for the non-entry of relief materials and humanitarian aid into Gaza.
She explained that the Egyptian delegation insisted on the necessity of immediate action to bring at least 350 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip daily.
The Rafah crossing is the only link for Gazans to the outside world, and Israel says it rejects the return of Palestinian factions’ control over the crossing.
Last month, Israel took control of the Rafah crossing as part of a military operation in the city located on the border with Egypt, which is crowded with about one and a half million displaced Palestinians.
In mid-May, Reuters quoted two Israeli security sources as saying that Tel Aviv had submitted a proposal to manage the crossing after the Israeli withdrawal, which included its participation.
They added that Cairo insists that the crossing must be managed by Palestinian authorities only.