CAIRO / ISTANBUL

Egypt denied on Wednesday Israeli allegations about the opening of the Rafah border crossing for the exit of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Egypt’s State Information Service, citing an anonymous source, said there was no coordination about reopening the Rafah crossing in the coming days for Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza.

The source said any possible opening of the terminal will be in both directions, for the entry and departure of Palestinians “in accordance with what was stated in US President (Donald Trump)’s peace plan,” which serves as a foundation for the ceasefire agreement that came into force in Gaza on Oct. 10.

The Israeli military body COGAT early Wednesday claimed the opening of the border crossing in the coming days “exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.”

“The residents' exit through the Rafah crossing will be facilitated through coordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism that operated in January 2025,” COGAT said on US social media company X.

The Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza was scheduled to reopen last October as part of the ceasefire agreement, but it remained closed due to Israel’s non-compliance with the deal.

Since May 2024, the Israeli army has blocked the movement of Palestinians through the crossing, the territory’s only window to the outside world that was not controlled by Tel Aviv before the start of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza in October 2023.

On Tuesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that more than 16,500 Palestinian patients still need life-saving medical care outside Gaza.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins.

Gaza’s government media office said the army has violated the ceasefire about 591 times, killing 357 people and injuring 903 others.

Israel also prevents the entry of sufficient food and medicine into the besieged territory, where about 2.4 million Palestinians live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions.