CAIRO: Israel announced on Wednesday it would unilaterally open the Rafah crossing to allow residents to flee the Gaza Strip, a move swiftly rejected by Egypt as Cairo insisted on lifting the blockade in both directions to relieve the besieged Palestinian territory.
The clash over the crossing underscores the desperate reality for Gaza’s population, who have been trapped under an intensifying siege since the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of the terminal in May 2024.
While Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the crossing would open in the “coming days” exclusively for the exit of residents, Egypt denied any such agreement exists, refusing to facilitate what critics fear is the forced displacement of Palestinians.
“If an agreement is reached to open the crossing, it will be in both directions, to enter and exit the Gaza Strip,” Egypt’s State Information Service said in a statement, insisting on adherence to the terms of the US-brokered peace plan which mandates full humanitarian access.
The Rafah crossing, the only vital artery to the outside world for the residents of Gaza not controlled directly by Israel, has been shuttered for months, strangling the flow of life-saving aid.
COGAT claimed the operation would be supervised by an EU Border Assistance Mission, mirroring a mechanism from a brief truce in early 2025. However, European diplomatic sources indicated that previous preparations to open the crossing were delayed, prolonging the suffering of civilians.
While COGAT claimed convoys are passing through the nearby Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, humanitarian actors on the ground described the aid volume as pitifully inadequate compared to the scale of devastation.
UN sources in Cairo revealed that while agreements promised 600 trucks daily, Israeli restrictions have kept that number at just over 100. “The vast majority of cargo entering is food, while essential goods like tents and medical equipment are still denied or face significant delays,” the UN sources said.
Residents stranded
For the Palestinians inside Gaza, the continued closure of the territory’s main gateway is a death sentence, particularly for the sick and wounded.
At least 16,500 patients in the war-ravaged enclave urgently require medical care outside the strip, according to the United Nations.
Since the Israeli military seized control of the border zone and shut down movement, the vast majority of these patients have been left stranded without access to specialised treatment.
The situation has drawn pleas from medical officials who witness preventable deaths daily. Hani Isleem, an official with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), warned that the current trickle of medical evacuations is negligible.
“The need is really huge,” Isleem said. He noted that the numbers accepted by foreign countries so far remain “just a drop in the ocean.”
The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated since Oct 2023, but thousands more remain trapped. Isleem said the official count of 16,500 seeking treatment is likely a severe underestimate, placing the true figure three to four times higher.
More than 900 people have died while waiting for evacuations since the war began, a statistic Isleem called a conservative estimate.
Another truce violation
Beyond the humanitarian catastrophe, the ceasefire remains fragile as bloodshed continues.
On Wednesday, health officials at Al-Ahli Hospital reported that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City.
Diplomatic efforts are currently stalled over Israel’s refusal to fully reopen the border until the bodies of deceased prisoners are returned.
Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have already released 20 living prisoners and 26 bodies in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad said it handed over a body to the Red Cross, found during a search in northern Gaza. The refusal to open the border for incoming aid constitutes a violation of the framework envisioned to end the conflict.
By Agencies
