Egypt Rejects Israeli Proposal Regarding Rafah Crossing

Two Egyptian security sources reported that "Egypt rejected an Israeli proposal regarding coordination between the two countries to reopen the Rafah crossing between the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip and manage its future operations." Officials from the Israeli internal security service "Shin Bet" presented the plan during a visit to Cairo on Wednesday amid rising tensions between the two countries following Israel's military advance last week in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war are sheltering. The Rafah crossing serves as a main route for humanitarian aid into Gaza and a departure point for those being medically evacuated from the area, where the humanitarian crisis is worsening and the specter of famine looms. Israel has taken control of the crossing's operations and stated it would not allow Hamas to assume any role there in the future. The two security sources noted that "the Israeli proposal includes a mechanism for managing the crossing after the Israeli withdrawal," adding that "Egypt insists the crossing should be managed solely by Palestinian authorities." An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, indicated that "the delegation traveled to Egypt primarily to discuss matters concerning Rafah in light of recent developments," but declined to go into details.