Rafah border crossing can’t reopen unless Israeli forces quit Gaza side

The Rafah border crossing critical to aid deliveries into Gaza from Egypt cannot operate again unless Israel relinquishes control and hands it back to
Palestinians on the Gaza side, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday.
Last month, Israel seized Gaza’s entire border with Egypt including the crossing during its offensive against Hamas in the city of Rafah. The crossing also represents the only lifeline to the outside world for the 2.3 million population in the Israeli-besieged territory.
“It is difficult for the Rafah crossing to continue operating without a Palestinian administration,” Shoukry told a press conference with his Spanish counterpart in Madrid.
Shoukry said the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty remained “a solid base for security and stability in the region and everyone must consider and take measures responsibly to preserve this important treaty”.