Egypt pushes back against Biden’s comments on Rafah Crossing, vows to uphold aid access to Gaza
Egypt has rejected recent remarks made by US President Joe Biden, which suggested that Egypt was initially hesitant to open the Rafah crossing during the Israeli war on Gaza to allow aid to reach Gaza residents. In a statement released by the Presidency on Friday, Egypt emphasized that it had opened the crossing at the onset of the conflict, facilitating the passage of humanitarian aid without any restrictions.
Egypt attributed the delay in aid access to earlier Israeli shelling of the Palestinian side of the crossing, which rendered it inaccessible and unsafe for aid convoys.
The statement reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to facilitating aid entry into Gaza while also denouncing any attempts to displace Palestinians from their lands.
Egypt underscored its ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing its engagement with regional, international, and UN stakeholders to ensure sustained and scalable aid access.
In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that he had ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a potential Israeli invasion of the densely populated southern Gaza city.
This announcement followed heavy international criticism, including from the US, regarding Israeli intentions to deploy ground forces into Rafah.
Israel has justified its actions by asserting that Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza and that leaving Hamas battalions there would hinder efforts to eliminate the organization.
Egypt responded to these developments, warning that any movement of Palestinians across the border into Egypt would jeopardize the four-decade-old peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
