Egypt will host Israeli and US officials on Sunday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing, a critical aid route into the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Egyptian state-linked media.
Al-Qahera News, affiliated with Egyptian intelligence, reported on Saturday that an unnamed senior official stated Cairo is demanding “a total Israeli withdrawal” from the terminal on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
“An Egyptian-American-Israeli meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday) in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing,” the official said.
The crossing has been closed since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side in early May, drastically reducing aid flow into the war-torn territory.
Since the closure, Egypt and Israel have blamed each other for the blocked aid deliveries. Egyptian authorities have refused to coordinate with Israel, preferring to work with international or Palestinian bodies.
Following discussions with US President Joe Biden last month, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed to temporarily divert UN aid to the Kerem Shalom crossing, near Rafah but on Gaza’s border with Israel.
On Friday, Biden revealed a multi-phase plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip proposed by Israel, stating it was “time for this war to end.”
The official quoted by Al-Qahera said Egypt is undertaking “intensive efforts” to “resume negotiations” for a truce “in light of the recent American proposition.”