Blinken urges Egypt to ensure aid is flowing into Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Egypt to do everything it can to make sure humanitarian aid is flowing into Gaza.
Blinken told a hearing in the House of Representatives that fighting near the Rafah crossing, which Israel seized earlier this month, had made the environment for providing assistance challenging.
“So we need to find a way to make sure that the assistance that would go through Rafah can get through safely, but we do strongly urge our Egyptian partners to do everything that they can on their end of things to make sure that assistance is flowing,” Blinken said.
Aid could still get through, Blinken said, an apparent reference to the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing near Rafah that Israel says is open.
Egyptian security sources say Cairo opposes Israel’s presence at the Rafah crossing and wants it to withdraw.
Aid is not getting through at Kerem Shalom... Blinken stop lying for once.
Israel dumping goods at crossing with Gaza: Rights group
Gisha, an Israeli human rights organisation, accuses Israeli authorities of dumping goods on the Israeli side of the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing with Gaza. Those goods cannot be accessed without their approval.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) is the Israeli military unit responsible for ensuring that goods enter the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israel has been “mocking international organisations that can’t reach the goods because of lack of coordination during a humanitarian catastrophe”, Tania Hary, Gisha’s executive director, charged.
COGAT is literally dumping goods on the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom Crossing, which can't be reached without Israel's coordination, and then mocking international organizations that can't reach the goods because of lack of coordination ... during a humanitarian catastrophe. pic.twitter.com/N0JcZP8SH5
— Tania Hary (@taniahary) May 22, 2024
Egypt warns it may withdraw as mediator over ‘attempts to doubt’ its role
Speaking on the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan condemned what he described as efforts by some parties to blame Egyptian mediators for delays in any breakthrough in ceasefire talks.
Such allegations, Rashwan said, will only further complicate the situation. He accused those making the claims of doing so to avoid making decisive decisions in the negotiations. The statements come after Qatari mediators faced similar criticism of their role, which they firmly rejected.
The Egyptian statement came in response to a CNN report in which three anonymous sources said Egypt’s intelligence officials had quietly changed the terms in a possible deal sent to Hamas for review.
The sources said the terms presented to Hamas were different than what the US and Qatar were aware of and what Israel had agreed to. The round of negotiations eventually broke down after the changes were discovered, according to CNN.
