Egypt denies coordinating with Israel on Rafah crossing, stressing bilateral opening as ceasefire holds

• Egypt has firmly denied Israel’s claim that it is coordinating to reopen the Rafah crossing. Israel announced a coordinated plan, but Egypt states there is no such agreement.
• Israel’s proposed plan would only allow people to leave Gaza (one-way exit). Egypt insists the crossing must open in both directions, allowing both evacuations and the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
• The closure has trapped at least 16,500 severely ill or injured Palestinians who need lifesaving medical treatment abroad. Only a small number have been evacuated through other routes since the ceasefire.
• The argument over logistics is fueled by underlying political tensions. Israel accuses Hamas of violating ceasefire terms, while Palestinian groups reject the U.S. peace plan referenced in the negotiations.
• The crossing remains shut because of this unresolved dispute. While there is a ceasefire, there is no agreement on operating Rafah, leaving the humanitarian crisis to worsen and highlighting the fragile, complex diplomacy surrounding Gaza.

In a development highlighting the fragile and complex diplomacy surrounding the Gaza Strip, Egypt has firmly denied Israeli claims of coordination to reopen the crucial Rafah border crossing, casting doubt on the immediate prospects for the evacuation of thousands of severely ill or injured Palestinians.

The dispute emerged after Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced plans to reopen the Rafah crossing in the coming days. The Israeli military body stated the move would be “facilitated through co-ordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission.” They described the proposed mechanism as similar to one used during a brief ceasefire in January, framing it as an expression of support for the current seven-week-old truce with Hamas.

Egypt insists Rafah crossing must open in both directions

However, Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) swiftly issued a denial. In a statement carried by state media, Cairo refuted any coordination with Israel on such a deal. Instead, SIS outlined a fundamentally different precondition, asserting that any agreement must result in the crossing opening “in both directions, for entry and exit from the Gaza Strip.” This position, they noted, aligns with the stipulations in President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

BrightU.AI‘s Enoch AI engine explains that, according to the peace plan, opening Rafah “will be subject to the same mechanism” as the January deal, a deal that historically involved two-way movement during a previous ceasefire.

This public divergence underscores the ongoing tensions and conflicting interpretations of ceasefire agreements, even during a period of nominal calm. The Rafah crossing, seized by Israeli forces in May 2024, is more than a simple border point; it is a lifeline.

Before its closure, the crossing served as the main exit for Palestinians permitted to leave during the conflict and a vital conduit for humanitarian aid. Its continued blockade, alongside Israeli restrictions on other aid routes, has contributed to severe shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine within the besieged Palestinian territory.

The human cost of the crossing’s closure is stark. The World Health Organization reports that at least 16,500 severely ill or injured Palestinians are awaiting evacuation for lifesaving medical treatment abroad.

Since the ceasefire began, only a small fraction of those injured, 235 patients, mostly children, have been evacuated via crossings into Israel, highlighting the critical need for a functional Rafah route.

The Israeli announcement suggested a one-way exit only. An Israeli official clarified to the Associated Press that the plan would allow departures from Gaza if Egypt agreed to receive the individuals, but explicitly stated the crossing would not be open for returns into Gaza.

This unilateral model contrasts sharply with Egypt’s insistence on a two-way operation, which would facilitate not only evacuations but also the enhanced flow of humanitarian supplies into the strip. Underlying the logistical dispute are deeper accusations.

Israeli officials have previously justified keeping Rafah closed by accusing Hamas of violating aspects of the October ceasefire deal, specifically regarding the handover of the bodies of deceased captives. Hamas, which handed over one such body recently, has denied these claims.

Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance groups have broadly condemned the Trump peace plan, which forms part of the backdrop to these negotiations, as a blueprint for a “new occupation.”

The situation remains at an impasse. While Israel frames the reopening as a coordinated goodwill gesture tied to the ceasefire, Egypt publicly rejects that coordination and sets a condition, comprehensive two-way access, that Israel has not met. This leaves the fate of the 16,500 waiting patients in limbo and exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The European Union, cited as a proposed supervisor in the Israeli plan, has yet to comment on the evolving disagreement.

The public denial from Cairo serves as a reminder of the intricate and often contentious diplomacy required to navigate the Gaza blockade. It suggests that despite the ongoing ceasefire, fundamental disagreements on implementation and sovereignty at border crossings persist. For now, the gates at Rafah remain shut, awaiting not just technical agreements but a reconciled political will between the involved parties to open them fully and in both directions.

Watch this clip featuring a convoy of trucks carrying vital humanitarian aid entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

This video is from Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

BBC.com

AlJazeera.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com