Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt has sharply rejected Israeli claims regarding the Rafah border crossing, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty dismissing assertions that Israel has unilaterally opened the crossing as “nonsense, a distortion of facts, and blatant falsehoods,” while accusing Israel of daily and systematic violations in the Gaza Strip.
Speaking in a televised interview on the programme Sabahak Masri on Sunday, Abdelatty said Egypt remains firmly committed to the ceasefire agreement reached last October, despite what he described as continued Israeli breaches. He said Cairo is in ongoing communication with the United States to ensure the agreement is fully implemented.
Abdelatty categorically denied Israeli statements suggesting the Rafah crossing is closed on the Egyptian side, calling them “a blatant lie.” He said the crossing operates continuously from Egypt, stressing that the obstruction lies entirely on the Israeli-controlled Palestinian side. According to the foreign minister, Israel must remove all obstacles preventing the crossing from operating in both directions, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
He explained that full operation of Rafah would allow Palestinian patients, within agreed frameworks, to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment while ensuring their return to Gaza. Egypt, he said, has consistently pushed for the crossing to function as intended, without being manipulated for political or demographic purposes.
Abdelatty underscored the importance of direct US engagement in guaranteeing the agreement’s implementation, describing American involvement, particularly by President Donald Trump as “the primary guarantee” for advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire. He said the issue was a central focus of a recent phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Egyptian foreign minister outlined that the second phase of the agreement includes Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the deployment of an international force to monitor the ceasefire, the launch of large-scale reconstruction efforts, and the establishment of a Palestinian administrative committee to manage the territory. He added that the plan also предусматриes the deployment of Palestinian police to maintain public order and uphold the rule of law.
Reaffirming President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s position, Abdelatty said the Rafah crossing “cannot be a gateway for forced displacement,” stressing that Egypt “will not participate in any injustice against the Palestinian people.” He warned that any attempt to use the crossing solely as an exit point into Egypt would constitute a unilateral Israeli action that violates the ceasefire and alters Gaza’s demographic reality.
Egypt, he said, is also pressing for the removal of all Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza. Aid deliveries must meet the needs of the population, Abdelatty stressed, particularly after prolonged periods of famine caused by Israeli limits on assistance.
The foreign minister reiterated this position recently at the Doha Forum 2025, again warning that Rafah must not, and will not, be used as a mechanism for the forced displacement of Palestinians. He said any such move would represent a clear breach of the ceasefire agreement and further destabilise the region.
