Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty said Thursday Rafah Crossing is operating around the clock on the Egyptian side, yet it remains closed from the other side.
The minister stressed the necessity of opening all crossings linking Israel with the Gaza Strip, in light of the legal responsibility imposed on Israel under international law as the occupying power.
Abdelatty made the remarks during a joint press conference with
European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, who is currently visiting Egypt.
During the meeting, the minister underscored the importance of immediately launching early recovery projects, rebuilding the Strip’s infrastructure, providing adequate shelter for its residents and ensuring the safe, rapid and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance.
“The European Commissioner will see firsthand the logistical hub, the Egyptian Red Crescent’s facilities and the extensive humanitarian and logistical support Egypt provides to the people of Gaza,” Abdelatty said.
The meeting touched on developments on the ground in Gaza and the efforts to stabilize the ceasefire following the signing of the Sharm El-Sheikh Agreement.
The meeting tackled ongoing preparations for the Cairo conference on early recovery, reconstruction and development in Gaza.
The top Egyptian diplomat commended the first meeting of the Palestine Donors Group, held in Brussels on 20 November, emphasizing the importance of effective participation and meaningful contributions from the European Union and its Member States to support the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
He highlighted the importance of the European Commissioner’s visit to North Sinai, slated for on Friday.
Abdelatty said the visit reflects the EU’s keenness on closely assessing the situation on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing and convey an accurate and realistic picture of the suffering of Gaza’s civilians to European officials, alongside showcasing Egypt’s humanitarian and medical support for the Palestinian people.
Egypt has provided more than 70 percent of all humanitarian aid that has entered the Strip since the outbreak of the brutal war on Gaza in October 2023, in addition to the medical care extended to large numbers of Palestinian patients and wounded in Egyptian hospitals.
