The Egyptian Presidency issued a statement on Friday responding to US President Joe Biden’s statements regarding the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing border.
Biden said on Thursday: “Initially, the president of Mexico (sic), Sisi, did not want to open the gate to (allow) humanitarian material to get in,” mistakenly calling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the leader of Mexico.
The Egyptian Presidency clarified that from the very first moment, Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing from its side without any restrictions and mobilized massive humanitarian aid and relief flowing from both Egypt itself and countries worldwide, who delivered their support directly to al-Arish Airport.
“Egypt has exerted significant pressure on all concerned parties to ensure the flow of this aid into the sector. However, the persistent bombing of the Palestinian side of the crossing by Israel, which was repeated four times, obstructed and halted the delivery process,” it stressed.
The statement emphasized: “Once the shelling of the other side of the crossing ended, Egypt immediately undertook the necessary repairs and technical adjustments, facilitating the resumption of the flow of a substantial amount of humanitarian aid and assistance to the people of the Strip.”
Egypt noted the key role it played in coordinating and delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, emanating from its sense of humanitarian responsibility for Palestine.
The statement asserted that Egypt has endured immense pressure and formidable challenges to ensure a smooth flow of aid.
Up to 80 percent of the humanitarian aid delivered to the Gaza Strip is provided by Egypt’s government, people and civil society, the statement explained, adding that Egypt has facilitated visits by international and UN officials to the crossing to assess the extent of the massive efforts being made by Egyptian authorities on the ground.
Egypt is also pursuing unyielding efforts to lead, organize, mobilize and deliver aid at significant quantities, it said, and urges all relevant stakeholders to cooperate and provide the necessary facilitations to secure access for the aid.
Any attempts that seek to forcibly displace the Palestinians from their land are doomed to fail, Egypt stressed, as the only way out of the current situation must come through the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
