Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz mentioned today, Tuesday, that "Hamas will not control the Rafah crossing, and this is not something we will compromise on." Katz stated, "It is up to Egypt, not Israel, to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow aid into Gaza," pointing out that "the responsibility to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza lies with our Egyptian friends." The Israeli Foreign Minister explained that he spoke yesterday with his counterparts in the UK and Germany, David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock, "about the need to persuade Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the continued delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza."
In response to the Israeli Foreign Minister's statements, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry emphasized Egypt's "categorical rejection of the policy of distorting facts and evading responsibility practiced by the Israeli side," stressing that "Israel is the sole responsible party for the humanitarian disaster being faced by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at present."
Shoukry argued that "Israel's control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, and the Israeli military operations in the vicinity of the crossing, which expose the lives of relief workers and truck drivers to imminent danger, are the main reasons behind the inability to deliver aid through the crossing." The Egyptian Foreign Minister strongly condemned the desperate attempts by the Israeli side to shift responsibility for the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip onto Egypt, which is a direct result of Israeli military assaults against Palestinians for more than seven months, resulting in over 35,000 casualties, most of whom are women and children.
