Egypt calls for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reopening Rafah crossing

By Amer Solyman and Rania Abushamala

CAIRO/ISTANBUL (AA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called Sunday for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and reopening the Rafah border crossing under last year’s ceasefire deal.

The call was made during Abdelatty’s meeting in Cairo with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.

The two diplomats reviewed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between Egypt and the US, and means of developing bilateral relations in the political and economic fields, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The discussions also dwelt on developments in Gaza, Sudan, the Horn of Africa region, and Egypt’s water security.

Abdelatty welcomed Egypt’s joining US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”

The board is an international organization that seeks to promote stability, re-establish good governance and the rule of law, and ensure lasting peace in areas affected by or threatened by conflict, according to its charter.

Abdelatty stressed the importance of implementing the obligations of the second phase of Trump’s plan on Gaza, supporting a national committee tasked with running Gaza, and the swift deployment of an international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire.

He also emphasized the need to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in both directions and achieve Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza to pave the way for early recovery and reconstruction, the statement said.

On Sunday, Israel’s Army Radio reported that Washington had reached an understanding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the reopening of the Rafah crossing, a vital route for aid delivery into Gaza.

The Israeli news website Walla said the crossing is set to open later this week.

The ceasefire plan halted Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, which has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.