Egypt denies responsibility for preventing aid from entering Gaza

Egypt has denied what it described as "lies" put forth by the Israeli defense team in front of the International Court of Justice, claiming that Egypt is "responsible" for preventing humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

Diaa Rashwan, the spokesperson for the Egyptian State Information Service, stated in a late-night Friday press release in Cairo that Egypt "categorically denies the claims and lies of the Israeli defense team in front of the International Court of Justice, stating that Egypt is responsible for preventing humanitarian and relief aid from entering Gaza from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing."

Christopher Staker, a member of the Israeli defense team, argued in court on Friday that "Gaza's entry from Egypt is under Egypt's control, and Israel is not obligated under international law to allow access to Gaza from its territory."

Rashwan later clarified in an interview with MBC Egypt that "the Egyptian authorities will send a response to the International Court of Justice regarding the Israeli allegations to confirm that Egypt has not closed the Rafah crossing."

In his statement, the Egyptian official affirmed that "Egypt's sovereignty extends only to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, while the other side in Gaza is subject to the actual authority of the occupation, as evidenced by the mechanism of aid entry from the Egyptian side to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Israeli territories. The Israeli army inspects the aid before being allowed to enter the Gaza Strip."

He added that Egypt has declared "dozens of times... that the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side is open without interruption, demanding that the Israeli side not prevent the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip and stop deliberately obstructing or delaying the entry of aid under the pretext of inspection."

He continued, "Many world leaders, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, have visited the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, and none of them have been able to cross to the Gaza Strip, either due to the Israeli army's prevention or their fear for their lives due to the continuous Israeli shelling on the Strip."

AFP