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“Egypt cannot allow Rafah to become a gateway for the displacement of Palestinians,” FM Abdelaty told Al Jazeera on Sunday. “The crossing will function for the entry of humanitarian aid and for the evacuation of medical cases requiring treatment abroad, nothing more.”
Abdelatty stressed that Egypt’s stance is aimed at preventing any attempt to alter Gaza’s demographic reality, reiterating that it will not allow Israel to shift responsibility for the strip’s civilian population onto Egyptian territory.
The minister noted that while the first phase of the Gaza agreement produced some positive outcomes, it also saw significant violations, particularly Israel’s breaches of the ceasefire.
He said the second phase is of “extraordinary importance" because it is directly linked to Israel’s withdrawal from the strip.
He repeated Egypt’s call for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Gaza to verify both sides’ compliance with the ceasefire and prevent Israel from using pretexts for renewed military assaults.
“The international force would be for peacekeeping, not peace enforcement, and there is a vast difference between the two,” he said.
Abdelatty said Egypt has also discussed with Palestinian factions the need to confine weapons in Gaza and ensure governance under a single authority, removing any grounds for Israeli security claims.
He added that several international actors, including the European Union, have expressed interest in training Palestinian police forces to maintain security in Gaza as part of post-conflict arrangements.
On Saturday, Abdelatty reaffirmed that the Rafah border crossing will remain open solely for the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, stressing that Egypt will never allow it to be used for displacing Palestinians.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, an annual high-level diplomatic gathering in Qatar, Abdelatty said the crossing operates 24/7 on the Egyptian side, and any closure is due to Israeli restrictions on the other side.
“There is no ethical or moral justification for displacing the Palestinians. It is their homeland, and they must remain on their land,” he said.
He noted that while the Rafah crossing remains fully operational from Egypt's side, Israel continues to keep it closed from its side and controls five other crossings into Gaza, making it Israel’s responsibility to open all entry points for aid.
His remarks followed false claims in Israeli media alleging that coordination was underway to reopen the Rafah crossing for Palestinian departures, allegations swiftly dismissed by the Egyptian foreign ministry and the State Information Service.
During a panel titled “The Gaza Reckoning: Reassessing Global Responsibilities and Pathways to Peace,” Abdelatty reiterated that Egypt will not administer Gaza, nor will it accept any foreign administration.
He urged Israel to open every crossing to ensure lifesaving supplies reach Gaza’s civilians.
The minister also called for the rapid deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), as outlined in the second phase of the Sharm El-Sheikh peace framework and in UN Security Council Resolution 2803, drafted by the United States.
He said this force must operate along the “yellow line” separating Israeli and Palestinian areas to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
Daily ceasefire violations, he warned, make international observers essential. “We need monitors on the ground to ensure the truce is respected,” he said.
Abdelatty added that consolidating the ceasefire is the key step to launching the second phase of the plan announced by US President Donald Trump, which requires that the Rafah crossing operate in both directions, not solely as an exit route, and in a way that does not undermine the Palestinian presence in Gaza.
This phase also calls for unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid and the start of early recovery and reconstruction to ease suffering and restore hope for Gaza’s population.
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