Egypt refusing to coordinate with Israel on entry of aid in Rafah — state media

Egypt has refused to coordinate with Israel on the entry of aid into Gaza from the Rafah Crossing due to Israel’s “unacceptable escalation,” Egypt’s state-affiliated Alqahera News satellite TV reported on Saturday, citing a senior official, Report informs via The Times of Israel.

The official also said that Egypt held Israel responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

On May 7, Israeli forces seized the main border crossing at Rafah, closing a vital route for aid into the besieged enclave. Israel did so as it began operations against Hamas in the Rafah area, and as negotiations for a hostage deal and truce floundered.

The Israeli military says Hamas has used the crossing for terror purposes. It is widely believed arms and other banned items are smuggled into the Strip from Egypt.

The United Nations and other international aid agencies said the closing of the two crossings into southern Gaza — Rafah and Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom (after rocket attacks targeted that crossing) — had virtually cut the enclave off from outside.

Red Crescent sources in Egypt said shipments had completely halted.

Israeli sources told Channel 12 that Israel wants to bring in aid but cannot do so without Egyptian cooperation. Israel fears the Egyptian refusal to coordinate the entry of aid will bring intense international pressure on Israel and harm its ability to operate in Rafah.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday “every day that crossing is not available and usable for humanitarian assistance, there’s going to be more suffering, and that’s a deep concern to us. We urge the Israelis to open up that crossing to humanitarian assistance immediately. That aid is desperately needed, and we urge them… to be as careful, precise, and discriminate as they can.”

Meanwhile, Israel ordered new evacuations in Rafah, instructing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its military operation closer to the heavily populated central area, in defiance of growing pressure from close ally the United States and others.

In the initial evacuation zone and other areas of Rafah, around 300,000 Palestinians have evacuated to a designated “humanitarian zone,” according to IDF assessments.