Egypt, France foreign ministers urge aid to Gaza through Rafah

Cairo, Egypt – AFP

Egypt and France’s foreign ministers urged the delivery of humanitarian aid and the exit of foreign nationals from the bombarded Gaza Strip, on the tenth day of war between Israel and Hamas.

“Those who want to leave Gaza must be able to do so,” French foreign minister Catherine Colonna said, urging the opening of crossing points.

Egypt controls the Rafah border crossing, the only passage in and out of Gaza not controlled by Israel.

A US official had earlier told that Egypt and Israel had reached an agreement for American citizens to leave through Rafah.

Cairo’s top diplomat Sameh Shoukry told reporters that Egypt had “repeated its request to Israeli authorities for humanitarian aid to pass through”.

Shoukry said there was “nothing new, which is a dangerous matter considering the new needs that the Palestinian people in Gaza are being exposed to”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that “there is currently no ceasefire and no humanitarian aid in Gaza in return for removing foreigners”.

The crossing remains closed, locking convoys of aid on one side of the border, and fleeing Palestinians and foreigners on the other, according to witnesses.

The UN has repeatedly warned of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has declared a “complete siege”, cutting off basic supplies to the territory’s 2.4 million people.

Since October 7, some 2,750 people in Gaza have been killed by Israeli air strikes.

According to the United Nations, a million people have been displaced inside Gaza, where Colonna said “civilians must be protected and their essential needs met”.

As diplomatic overtures yield little success, Colonna said Monday that Paris “welcomes Egypt’s initiative” for an international summit on the conflict.

She said it would “show that there is a political horizon that can take into account Israel’s right to security and the Palestinians’ right to a state”.

Colonna said Monday that the “weight of the conflict must not fall on Egypt”, which has been called on to accept refugees from Gaza.

Cairo has rejected the call, warning of a fresh forced displacement of Palestinians and instead urging restraint and diplomatic efforts for deescalation.