A high-level source revealed today, Tuesday, that Egypt confirmed its position not to deal at the Rafah crossing except with Palestinian and international parties, stressing that Egypt will not adopt coordination with the Israeli side at the crossing.

Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath sources reported that Egypt is preparing proposals regarding the management of the Rafah crossing that exclude any Israeli presence.

At the same time, the source explained that the security delegation is intensifying its efforts to activate the truce agreement and prisoner exchange between Israel and the Hamas movement, in coordination with Qatar and the United States, according to what was reported by the Cairo News Channel.

The source also added, "We informed all concerned parties that Israel's insistence on committing massacres and escalation in Rafah weakens the negotiation paths, which could lead to dire consequences," as he put it.

Reactivating the Rafah crossing

Several parties, including the United States and the European Union, are continuing an intense movement to try to reactivate the Rafah land crossing, which Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of, after they recently launched a ground operation east of the city of Rafah.

The European Union announced explicitly on Monday that it intends to restore its role as an observer at the Rafah crossing separating the Gaza Strip from Egyptian territory, in accordance with the crossings agreement that was approved following the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Meanwhile, the United States and Egypt led a discussion with the Palestinian Authority about the Palestinian crossings. Which connects the Gaza Strip to the outside world with the aim of facilitating the entry of goods and humanitarian aid into the Strip, according to the Arab World News Agency.

Sources said on Tuesday that the international movement to manage the crossings, including Rafah, is currently encountering Israeli obstacles.

Israel rejects the return of Palestinian Authority

One of the sources told the Arab World News Agency, “Israel rejects the return of the Palestinian Authority to assume its mission at the Rafah crossing, which is the role it was playing before Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, and the European Union mission withdrew from there following that control.”

The source stressed that the international will is crystallizing towards the Palestinian Authority taking over its work at the crossing.

Source: Arabic