Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s call for Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing has sparked a heated exchange with his Egyptian counterpart.
Katz said on Twitter that he had spoken to the UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Alma Baerbock “about the need to persuade Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the continued delivery of international humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
But the comments were blasted by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who characterized them as an attempt to shift blame for the Gaza humanitarian crisis onto Egypt.
Shoukry accused Israel of causing the crisis through its military actions and its control over the Palestinian side of the crossing. He called on Israel to fulfill its obligations as the occupying power and allow aid to enter Gaza through the land ports under its control.
“Israel is solely responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are currently facing,” Shoukry said.
But Katz reiterated Israel’s stance that Hamas would not be allowed to control the Rafah crossing, saying “this is a security necessity on which we will not compromise.”
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