US pressuring Egypt, Israel to expedite reactivation of Rafah crossing: Axios

CAIRO – 17 May 2024: Israeli journalist and reporter for Axios Barak Ravid revealed that the Biden administration is exerting pressure on Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority to swiftly find a solution for the reactivation of the Rafah crossing.

These pressures come in the wake of a proposal made earlier this week by Israel and the United States, suggesting that representatives from the Palestinian Authority be sent to the Rafah crossing for management.

According to a source familiar with the details of the plan, Israeli intelligence has recommended that the crossing be managed by Palestinian representatives and United Nations personnel, under the supervision and military protection of Israel, as reported by Ravid.

Relations between Egypt & Israel grow more tense as Egypt rejects Israeli suggestion for the 2 nations to coordinate to reopen the Rafah border crossing. Egypt says Palestinian side of crossing must be administered by the Palestinian Authority. https://t.co/Pdh8fUW2Rs

— David M. Witty (@DavidMWitty1) May 17, 2024

The source further added that the Israeli intelligence agency, Shabak, envisions the use of the crossing solely for the movement of people between Egypt and Gaza, as well as the one-way transfer of fuel from Egypt.

Meanwhile, the plans put forth by Shabak include the transfer of humanitarian aid exclusively through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which remains under Israeli control.

Additionally, Israel aims to involve Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas in Gaza in the operation of the Rafah crossing.

Coordination refused

Earlier this week, a well-informed Egyptian source emphasized Cairo's refusal to coordinate with Israel regarding the Rafah crossing, following the Israeli forces' incursion into Rafah city and subsequent takeover of the crossing on May 7.

Egypt has repeatedly warned Israel against this move for its imminent catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The international community and the UN agencies have shared the same concerns.

Rafah, which lies near the border with Egypt, is home to more than a million Gazans, most of who were displaced by the war. Israel insists that the city shelters the last battalions of Hamas in Gaza.

Head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan said earlier that a Rafah operation would endanger decades of peace between Egypt and Israel, outlined in their 1979 treaty.

The Rafah crossing, ahead of the recent Israeli takeover, had served as the main entry point of massive amounts of aid originated from Egyptian organizations, world countries, and UN agencies.

Egypt also evacuated tens of thousands of foreign nationals, seriously injured Palestinians, and cancer patients from the strip since November.

In light of the crossing closure, the United States announced sending trucks loaded with humanitarian aid through a temporary pier in Gaza.

The US Central Command said in a statement on Friday that this is a multinational effort that aims to assist Palestinian civilians in Gaza through a maritime corridor.

This is a US "Siege Pier." Its only purpose is the help Israel shut down all land crossings into Gaza, including the vital Rafah crossing into Egypt, to control ALL goods entering the besieged Strip, forever. Yankee, go home. https://t.co/2mBlJgjo7T

— Sharmine Narwani (@snarwani) May 17, 2024

Trading blames

Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister, Israel Katz, has claimed that Egypt bears the responsibility for averting a humanitarian crisis in Gaza by reopening the crossing.

In response, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, categorically rejected Israel's attempts to distort the facts.

In a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Shoukry asserted that Israel alone is responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe endured by the Palestinians in Gaza.

Shoukry emphasized that Israeli control over the Palestinian side of the crossing, along with Israeli military operations in the vicinity that endanger the lives of humanitarian workers and truck drivers, is the primary obstacle preventing the delivery of aid through the crossing.

He condemned Israel's desperate endeavor to hold Egypt accountable for the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is a direct result of Israel's indiscriminate assaults on Palestinians over the past seven months in the region.

14 Palestinians were ki||ed after the #Israeli forces targeted the #UNRWA-run al-Sabra clinic. #Rafah_Crossing #StopArmingIsrael #IsraeliWarCrimes#Free_Palestine #Stop_war_Gaza pic.twitter.com/vLb8mEdJjY

— Arab Organisation (@AohrUk) May 17, 2024

The Israeli war in Gaza, which started on October 7, has killed over 35,200 people in Gaza, and injured almost 80,000 others, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The bombardments have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine, resulting in the destruction of significant infrastructure and the displacement of the majority of its 2.3 million population.