A high-ranking source informed Cairo News that Egypt insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Rafah border crossing as a prerequisite for resuming its operations.
Israeli forces continue to launch hundreds of airstrikes and artillery bombardments, committing atrocities across various regions of the Gaza Strip.
These attacks have resulted in bloody massacres of civilians and horrific crimes in areas of incursion, creating a catastrophic humanitarian situation with over 90% of the population displaced.
Israeli warplanes have destroyed entire residential blocks in Gaza as part of their comprehensive destruction policy in their ongoing assault on the region.
Thousands of deceased and injured individuals remain trapped under the rubble due to the ongoing bombings and the hazardous conditions on the ground.
The situation is exacerbated by a severe blockade on the Gaza Strip, with stringent restrictions on the entry of fuel and critical aid necessary to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Rick Peeperkorn, has renewed calls for the opening of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza.
He warned of diminishing supplies in Gaza and condemned the Israeli attack on displaced persons’ tents in Rafah, underscoring the lack of any safe place in Gaza.
According to the United Nations Information Centre on Thursday, Peeperkorn noted that since the closure of the Rafah crossing, only three trucks have entered Rafah through the Kerem Shalom crossing. “Fortunately, we still have some supplies, but they are rapidly depleting,” he said.
The Israeli military has announced full operational control over the border between Gaza and Egypt.
This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in the region.
On Thursday evening, Israeli Army Radio reported that the military had achieved complete operational control over the Philadelphi Route (also known as the Salah al-Din Corridor), which runs along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
This announcement followed comments from Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, who stated that the army had secured 75% of the Philadelphi Route and emphasized the necessity of cooperation with Egypt to prevent weapons smuggling.
