On Saturday, the Egyptian Cairo Satellite News Channel quoted a high-ranking source as saying that Egypt refused to coordinate with Israel in the entry of aid from the Rafah crossing due to “the unacceptable Israeli escalation and held it responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip before all parties.”

Israeli forces stormed and took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and Israeli tanks also penetrated some eastern neighborhoods of Rafah.

In defiance of international warnings against launching a major attack in Rafah, the Israeli army has been carrying out incursions into the east of the city since Tuesday, after ordering residents to evacuate the area.

Cairo informed Israel of the “danger of escalation” after the Hebrew state took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, stressing the agreement of all parties to complete the “negotiating path” in an effort to achieve a truce, according to what Egyptian media reported on Tuesday.

The Cairo News Channel, which is close to Egyptian intelligence, quoted an unnamed senior source as saying, “We informed Israel of the danger of the escalation, and Egypt is ready to deal with all scenarios.”

He added, "There is agreement among all parties to return to the negotiating track," with the Egyptian capital hosting delegations representing both Hamas and Israel, in addition to Qatar and the United States, which are participating with Egypt in mediation efforts.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening for months to invade Rafah, which he considers the last stronghold of the Hamas movement, and 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced, are crowded in due to the war.

On Saturday, the Israeli army expanded the scope of the evacuation of the area east of Rafah, which it began at the beginning of this week, calling on residents of additional neighborhoods in the city to leave “immediately.”

The Israeli army threatens to launch a ground attack on the city, despite widespread international warnings.

Israeli officials confirm that the ground attack in Rafah is necessary to achieve their declared goal of eliminating Hamas.