Blinken's Request to Egypt to Facilitate Aid Delivery to Gaza

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Egypt to make every effort to ensure the facilitation of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza. During a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, he stated that the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza remains closed following its capture by the Israeli army on May 7. The Israeli army announced on May 18 that it had taken control of the Rafah crossing from the eastern side of the region. Blinken noted that fighting near the Rafah crossing has made aid delivery challenging, but aid can still be transferred through it. He said, 'Therefore, we need to find a way to ensure that aid can be transferred safely through Rafah, but we strongly urge our Egyptian partners to do whatever they can to facilitate the flow of aid.' Egyptian security sources say the country cannot transfer aid to the Rafah crossing, as this would imply acceptance of the Israeli army's presence at the crossing, which Egypt opposes. The Egyptian Foreign Minister stated on Monday that the presence of Israeli military forces and their operations near the Rafah crossing have jeopardized the safety and security of truck drivers. Meanwhile, Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister accused Egypt on Wednesday of withholding aid transfers to Gaza through Rafah. Ran Danmer stated, 'Currently, Egypt is not allowing 2,000 trucks of humanitarian aid to pass through the Gaza border because they have a political problem regarding the Rafah crossing.'