Tensions escalated on Tuesday between Yerushalayim and Cairo regarding the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza, which was seized by the IDF from Hamas last week.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz engaged with his German and British counterparts, urging them to pressure Egypt to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
“I spoke with UK Foreign Secretary [David Cameron] and German Foreign Minister [Annalena Baerbock] about the need to persuade Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the continued delivery of international humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Katz stated.
Katz emphasized, “The world places the responsibility for the humanitarian situation on Israel, but the key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now in the hands of our Egyptian friends.”
He further stressed, “Hamas will not control the Rafah crossing – this is a security necessity on which we will not compromise.”
In response, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry denounced Israel’s attempts to blame Egypt for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, attributing it instead to Israeli actions against Palestinians.
Shoukry’s office accused Israel of distorting facts and evading responsibility for the crisis.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the immediate opening of the crossing, which has become a major route for humanitarian assistance since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war.
While aid also enters Gaza through Kerem Shalom and Erez Crossing, Rafah is crucial due to the large population in the area.
Diplomatic tensions have escalated, with concerns about the impact on the 1979 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
Since Israel seized control of the crossing on May 7 as part of its military campaign around Rafah, aid has accumulated on the Egyptian side of the border.
US officials have engaged with Israeli and Egyptian counterparts, noting that only 50 trucks had entered Gaza that week, which was deemed insufficient.
{Matzav.com}