Egypt Insists on Israel’s Withdrawal From the Rafah Crossing

Egypt insisted on Sunday on the need for Israeli forces to withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which connects the Sinai peninsula with the Gaza Strip, to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave and blamed Israel for closing the border crossing.

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According to Egyptian state television Al Qahera News, which quotes a high-ranking source, Cairo launched this demand at the end of a meeting held this Sunday in the Egyptian capital with representatives of Israel and the United States.

"Egypt has maintained its consistent position towards the need for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing until it resumes operation again," says an Al-Qahera news published on its website in Arabic.

Egypt also insisted on the need to work "immediately" to allow the entry of at least 350 aid trucks daily into the Gaza Strip with all kinds of commodities, food and fuels, according to the source.

In addition, the Egyptian security delegation had emphasized Israel's full responsibility for the non-entry of relief and humanitarian assistance materials into the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian press, for its part, previously reported that Egypt had made clear to Israel its "unwavering position not to open the Rafah crossing as long as Israel maintains control over the Palestinian side" of it.

The flow of aid into Gaza has been significantly limited following the start of the Israeli military operation in Rafah and the taking of the Palestinian side of the crossing, which was the only exit from the non-Israeli enclave.