Egypt has blasted comments by Israel’s top diplomat in which he blamed the Arab country for the closure of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel “is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.” “We reject the policy of distorting the facts,” Shoukry said in a statement, denouncing Israel’s “desperate attempts” to blame Egypt.
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- Egypt has strongly criticized comments by Israel’s Foreign Minister blaming Egypt for the closure of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry refuted these claims, attributing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to Israel’s actions, particularly its seizure of the Palestinian side of the crossing.
- Shoukry emphasized that Israel’s control over Rafah is preventing the entry of aid and demanded that Israel increase aid flow through its own crossings.
- Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing to facilitate the delivery of international humanitarian aid.
- Egypt remains a crucial mediator in ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire and manage the humanitarian situation, concerned about potential refugee flows into the Sinai Peninsula.
The Associated Press has the story:
Egypt slams Israel’s FM for blaming the closing of Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Cairo
Newslooks- CAIRO — (AP)
Egypt has blasted comments by Israel’s top diplomat in which he blamed the Arab country for the closure of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has expressed mounting frustration with Israel’s seizure of the Palestinian side of the crossing last week, saying it threatens the two countries’ decades-old peace treaty.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel “is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.”
“We reject the policy of distorting the facts,” Shoukry said in a statement, denouncing Israel’s “desperate attempts” to blame Egypt.
He said Israel’s incursion into Rafah was the main reason aid cannot enter through the crossing and called for Israel to allow more aid through its own crossings.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that there was a “need to persuade Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the continued delivery of international humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
“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,” Katz said.
Egypt has played a key role in mediation efforts aimed at brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages. It has also expressed fears that the humanitarian crisis could send a mass influx of Palestinians across the border into its Sinai Peninsula.
