The Cairo news channel, close to Egyptian authorities, reported today, Thursday, that the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will be opened tomorrow, Friday, which is the only outlet for the besieged territory to the outside world. Trucks carrying thousands of tons of relief aid directed to Gaza are waiting at the Rafah border crossing or in the city of Al-Arish in northern Sinai, Egypt, for permission to enter the besieged territory, following an agreement between the U.S. and Egyptian presidents and Israel's approval.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that U.S. Special Envoy David Satterfield met today with Israeli and Egyptian officials to develop a specific mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. Miller added that the Israeli government is concerned that the aid could deviate from its intended path to benefit Hamas and that Washington shares this concern.
Miller indicated that the United States expects aid to be delivered to Gaza and desires for that process to occur in a "sustainable" manner.
According to two security sources on Thursday, road repair equipment has passed through the Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza in preparation for delivering some of the aid piled up in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. The Rafah crossing is the only outlet for Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, but it has been closed since the early days of the conflict between Israel and Hamas following the Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian side of the border.
The U.S. and Egypt are working to reach an agreement with Israel for delivering aid to Gaza, where the situation is worsening. The White House stated on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached for the entry of up to 20 trucks through the crossing, with the hope of bringing in more trucks later. Diplomatic efforts to open the Rafah crossing have intensified, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosting the top U.S. general overseeing forces in the Middle East and Jordan's King Abdullah II. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called in Cairo for widespread and sustainable aid delivery.
Egypt is also hosting a summit on Saturday concerning the Gaza crisis and the future of the Palestinian issue, which Guterres is expected to attend. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated in a joint press conference with Guterres that Egypt is diligently working to reopen the crossing and deliver the humanitarian aid piled up at the Egyptian side for distribution in the territory, aiming for a permanent and continuous entry without interruption.
The UN reports that most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents relied on aid before the conflict began on October 7, with about 100 trucks of humanitarian aid crossing into the territory daily. Over 100 trucks are currently waiting near the crossing on the Egyptian side, but aid is not expected to enter before tomorrow, Friday, according to the two Egyptian security sources. More aid is also awaiting in the city of Al-Arish, located about 45 kilometers from Rafah.
Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera showed large craters and road damage, as well as damaged buildings within the crossing area. Western governments have negotiated for the evacuation of foreign passport holders from Gaza, which Egyptian officials have conditioned on allowing aid to enter Gaza. The details of the potential evacuation remain unclear.
Egypt has clearly opposed any mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, citing Arab concerns about the possibility of Palestinians fleeing permanently again or being forced to leave their homes as occurred during the war that erupted with the declaration of the state of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated yesterday, following talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, that Israel would not prevent civilian aid from entering Gaza from Egypt as long as such supplies do not reach Hamas. They added that Israel would continue to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza until the hostages held by Hamas are returned.
