Israel and Egypt Agree on Reopening Rafah Crossing

Under 'pressure from the United States', Israel and Egypt have agreed to reopen the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza Strip to send humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in the besieged area. This crossing has been closed since May 7, when the Israeli army took control of it on the Gaza side, disrupting aid deliveries for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Egypt had announced that it would refrain from reopening the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side was handed over to Palestinians to avoid the perception of being complicit with Israel. According to a report from Israel's Kan television network, Israel has agreed to withdraw its forces from the border to facilitate the reopening of the Rafah crossing. The report states that despite efforts to have an international body take control of the crossing, no entity has been willing to do so. As a result, Israel has agreed to temporarily hand over control of the crossing to Palestinians whose backgrounds it can verify, ensuring they have no links to the extremist group Hamas. Meanwhile, Al Arabiya television reported, citing informed sources, that Israel has proposed to Egypt to manage the Rafah crossing with the participation of the United Nations and Palestinian factions not affiliated with Hamas. These sources told Al Arabiya that an American delegation will arrive in Cairo next week to discuss the management of the Rafah crossing and the border crisis. Al Arabiya states that Washington has assured Cairo that Israeli forces will not be stationed at the Rafah crossing. Last Friday, the Egyptian presidency announced that Egypt and the United States have agreed to continue sending humanitarian aid to the UN in Gaza through the 'Karem Shalom' crossing until legal mechanisms for reopening the Rafah border crossing are established by the Palestinian-Egyptian side.