Egypt, US, Israel to meet in Cairo to discuss Rafah crossing reopening: Axios

CAIRO – 31 May 2024: Officials from Egypt, the United States, and Israel are scheduled to meet in Cairo next week to discuss the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, reported Axios, citing US and Israeli officials.

The three countries will also address a plan for securing the Egyptian-Gazan border, according to the officials.

Axios reported that Terry Wolff, the senior director for the Middle East at the White House National Security Council, is expected to visit Egypt in the coming days, leading a US delegation.

Simultaneously, a delegation of Israeli security officials is anticipated to travel to Cairo, as stated by the officials.

US officials stated that the discussions will focus on a plan for reopening the Rafah crossing without Israeli military presence on the Gazan side.

The Rafah crossing has been closed since Israel escalated its operations in Gaza, deploying ground troops to Rafah city near the border with Egypt on May 7.

Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing, triggering Egypt’s condemnation. Cairo has since refused to coordinate with Israel on aid delivery to Gaza through the crossing.

However, early this week, Egyptian humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza after being redirected from Rafah to Israel's Karm Abu Salem crossing, based on an agreement between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Joe Biden.

Since the Israeli war started on October 7, Rafah crossing has served as a vital route for daily shipments of humanitarian aid sent by Egypt and the international community through Egyptian trucks.

On Thursday, a high-level Egyptian official denied reports of an alleged Egyptian-Israeli deal for the reopening of the crossing. The source reiterated Egypt's insistence on full Israeli withdrawal from the crossing as a precondition for its resumption of operation.

Since May 7, Israel has conducted relentless shelling and airstrikes in Rafah city, resulting in the deaths of dozens, the majority of whom were sheltering in tents.

A tent camp in Rafah was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, killing 45 people sheltering in the camp and prompting global condemnation.

Israel has disregarded an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, issued in response to an urgent request by South Africa.

The ICJ ruling mandates Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to facilitate aid delivery.

A week after the closure of the crossing, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on Egypt to reopen the crossing, stating that Cairo bears responsibility for preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, criticized these remarks and held Israel accountable for the humanitarian catastrophe faced by Palestinians in Gaza.

Shoukry emphasized that Israeli control over the Palestinian side of the crossing, coupled with military operations endangering the lives of humanitarian workers and truck drivers, remains the primary obstacle hindering aid delivery.