CAIRO – 12 January 2024: Head of the State Information Service Diaa Rashwan refuted claims made by the Israeli defense team in front of the International Court of Justice that Egypt is in charge of obstructing the entry of relief and humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
In a statement, Rashwan said that all Israeli officials, particularly the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Energy, have repeatedly stated in public statements since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza that they will not permit aid, particularly fuel, to enter the Gaza Strip because this is a necessary part of the war, demonstrating the inconsistency and falsity of the Israeli claims.
The occupying power turned to accusing Egypt in an attempt to avoid being held guilty by the International Court of Justice when it found itself in front of the court with proof of these crimes, he added.
It is known that Egypt's sovereignty extends only to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, while the other side is subject to the occupation authority, which was actually demonstrated in the mechanism for the entry of aid from the Egyptian side to the Karm Abu Salem crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Israeli territory, where it is inspected by the Israeli army before permitting it to enter Gaza Strip territory, he further added.
Egypt has called on the Israeli side to stop obstructing or delaying the entry of aid under the pretext of inspecting it and to stop preventing the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip. Egypt has made these announcements numerous times in official statements, beginning with the President, the Foreign Ministry, and all parties concerned, Rashwan said.
During the week-long humanitarian truce negotiations in the Gaza Strip, which included participation from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, the Israeli side demonstrated extreme intransigence in deciding how much aid, given their military control over the Strip, would be allowed to enter. In the end, the amount of aid entered the Strip was as announced at the time, he added.
Egypt has assigned Egyptian trucks with Egyptian drivers to enter, after inspection, directly into the territory of the Gaza Strip to distribute aid to its residents, rather than transferring it to Palestinian trucks, in light of Israel's ongoing intention to obstruct the entry of aid at the Karm Abu Salem crossing, Rashwan said.
The Israeli authorities have six crossing points with the Gaza Strip, which they must open right away for trade rather than the entry of aid if they truly want food, fuel, and medical supplies to reach the Gaza Strip. This is especially important given that trade with the Gaza Strip accounted for more than $4.7 billion in 2022, he concluded.
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