Egypt says Israel responsible for Rafah crossing closure

The Rafah border crossing wait continues, despite multiple parties involved signaling a potential Friday border opening to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza.

According to Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt is not responsible for the border crossing closure, and Israel is the country at fault for stopping the aid.

“Targeting [Egypt] in Western media is clear in the current crisis,” Zeid said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Promoting displacement scenario, holding [Egypt] responsible for the Crossing closure despite [Israel’s] targeted attacks & refusal of aid entry & recently insinuating [Egyptian] responsibility for obstructing third-country nationals exit.”

President Biden on Friday predicted trucks carrying humanitarian aid will enter Gaza within the next 48 hours amid concerns the assistance had been blocked from crossing the border there.

“I got a commitment from the Israelis and the president of Egypt that the crossing will be open,” Biden said.

Biden previously spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who agreed to allow up to 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza at the Rafah border crossing. He said the road at the crossing was “in very bad shape” and had to be repaved.

The United Nations secretary general spoke at the Rafah crossing Friday, saying the aid is a difference of “life and death” for civilians in Gaza and calling for more truckloads crossing into Gaza.

The aid comes from a $100 million humanitarian aid package for civilians in Gaza, announced by Biden on Wednesday when he was visiting Israel. The aid will include food, water and medicine as civilians have struggled with dwindling supplies since Hamas, which controls Gaza, began the war with Israel nearly two weeks ago.

The conflict has killed more than 1,400 Israelis, mostly in the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas that began the war, while 3,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counteroffensive, the Hamas-led Health ministry in Gaza announced.