Egypt denied reports regarding its approval to participate in an Arab force under the United Nations to control the crossings with the Gaza Strip. A high-ranking source stated, according to the "Cairo" news channel, that there is no truth to claims made by some news sites about Egypt's agreement to join an Arab force under the UN for controlling the crossings with Gaza. This comes as a reaffirmation of Egypt's previous statement that it will only engage at the Rafah crossing with Palestinian and international parties, emphasizing that Egypt will not rely on coordination with the Israeli side at the crossing.
Egypt continues its efforts to activate the ceasefire agreement and facilitate prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas, in coordination with Qatar and the United States. Cairo has informed all concerned parties that Israel's insistence on committing massacres and escalating violence in Rafah undermines the negotiation pathways, which could lead to severe consequences.
The European Union announced its intention to restore its role as an observer at the Rafah crossing, which separates the Gaza Strip from Egyptian territory, based on the crossings agreement established after the Israeli army withdrew from Gaza in 2005. On Tuesday, the United Nations stated that it was unable to distribute aid in Gaza from the Karam Abu Salem crossing, controlled by Israel, due to chaos and panic among the starving in the area, despite Israel halting military activities during the day.
Previously, the Israeli army mentioned there would be a daily ceasefire for its attacks from 5 AM to 4 PM GMT until further notice in the area extending from the Karam Abu Salem crossing in southern Israel to Salah al-Din road, then north into Gaza. UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN welcomed this step but added that "this has not yet translated into increased aid reaching those in need." He confirmed that the area between Karam Abu Salem and Salah al-Din road is extremely dangerous.
