Egyptian Foreign Ministry
In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that this dangerous escalation threatens the lives of more than a million Palestinians who depend primarily on this crossing.
It further emphasized that the Rafah border crossing serves as the "main lifeline" of the Gaza Strip and the "safe outlet" for the wounded to receive treatment and for the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.
Therefore, Cairo called on Israel to exercise utmost restraint and avoid pursuing a policy of brinkmanship that could have a long-term impact and abort the efforts exerted to reach a sustainable truce in the Gaza Strip.
The statement also called on all influential international parties to intervene, pressure against escalating the current crisis, and allow diplomatic efforts to achieve their desired results.
Early Tuesday, Israel sent tanks into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and took control of the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt.
On Monday, the foreign ministry reaffirmed Egypt’s around-the-clock communication with all parties to prevent the situation from worsening or spiralling out of control.
Egypt, which borders Rafah and has a peace treaty with Israel, and Qatar, a US ally and a home to Hamas leaders, have taken the lead in the ceasefire negotiations.
Israel, whose brutal war on Gaza has continued for seven months, is facing growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.
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