Egypt presses Israel to reopen Rafah crossing for goods: Report

Egypt is pressing for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza to allow goods into the enclave, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

“By contrast, Israel insists on limiting the entry of goods to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is under its control,” the broadcaster said.

Israel’s security establishment and political leadership have informed the US and Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative of the Peace Council, of their unified position “not to allow the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip except through the Kerem Shalom crossing,” the broadcaster said, citing an unnamed Israeli source.

On Feb. 2, Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which it has occupied since May 2024, on a limited basis and under tight restrictions.

Following a closure of nearly 20 days after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, Israel reopened the crossing on March 19 under the previous operating mechanism and with strict restrictions.

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The crossing currently operates on a limited basis for pedestrians only. Dozens of patients, wounded Palestinians and other humanitarian cases are intermittently allowed to leave under tight Israeli monitoring and restrictions.

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are still awaiting permission to travel for medical treatment.

Egypt had not officially commented on the Israeli broadcaster’s report as of 0930GMT.

Before Israel’s genocide in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians traveled daily through Rafah to Egypt, while hundreds of others returned to the enclave. The crossing was operated by Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities without Israeli intervention.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, around 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 injured, while nearly 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.

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