As many as six Arab nations and Pakistan have expressed concerns regarding Israeli settlements along the Rafah border, wherein Palestinians could leave their territory, but not return, and block humanitarian aid entry.
The announcement of Israel’s settlement plan was made on December 3. It is in breach of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli military unit called the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that the one-way crossing would be allowed with Israeli “security approval” in coordination with Egypt. However, authorities in Egypt criticised the plan and expressed “complete rejection of any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.”
According to a report by Al Jazeera, Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas in October more than 570 times so far. In this regard, the foreign ministries of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement.
“Rafah Crossing will open in the coming days exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt,” the statement read.
Egypt also stressed that Israel must fully comply with US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which calls for the Rafah crossing to be opened in both directions. Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10, Israel has not opened the Rafah crossing.
Opening of the Rafah crossing would allow desperately needed aid to enter and people requiring medical treatment to leave. Israel has cited Hamas’s failure to return the bodies of all captives and the need for coordination with Egypt.
Only one captive’s body remains in Gaza. The retrieval of the body is stalled due to the heavy bombardment in Gaza.
The ministers said they appreciated Trump’s peace efforts, which foresee the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government supported by a multinational stabilisation force under the supervision of an international “Board of Peace”, insisting that his plan move forward “without delay or obstruction”.
Israel continued to bomb Gaza on Friday and early Saturday with 20 airstrikes during this period. Artillery shelling and air raids were reported in areas where the Israeli military is currently stationed east of Khan Younis and Rafah.
Israeli gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Khan Younis, amid heavy gunfire and shelling.
The Israeli army continues to control the southern and eastern belts of the Strip, along with large parts of northern Gaza, spanning more than 50 percent of the enclave’s total area.
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