US President Joe Biden (left) said that he convinced Sisi to open the Rafah crossing to bring humanitarian supplies into Gaza (French)

A statement by the Egyptian presidency said on Friday that since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing on its side without restrictions or conditions, after US President Joe Biden said in statements last night that the Egyptian president “did not want to open the crossing to allow the entry of humanitarian materials.”

The statement said: “With reference to the statements of the US President on February 8, 2024 regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Presidency of the Republic confirms the consensus of positions and the continuation of joint action and intensive cooperation between Egypt and the United States regarding reaching a calm in the Gaza Strip, and working for a ceasefire and enforcing truces.” Humanitarian aid, and the introduction of humanitarian aid in the quantities and speed necessary to provide relief to the people of the Gaza Strip.”

The Egyptian presidency statement added, "Egypt has put strong pressure on all concerned parties to enforce the entry of this aid into the Gaza Strip."

The statement indicated that the continued bombing of the Palestinian side of the crossing by Israel - which was repeated 4 times - prevented the entry of aid, adding that "as soon as the bombing of the other side of the crossing ended, Egypt immediately rehabilitated it."

The statement continued, "Egypt has made the necessary technical adjustments to allow the largest amount of aid to be brought in to provide relief to the people of the Gaza Strip."

Biden convinced Sisi

US President Joe Biden had revealed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi did not initially want to open the Rafah crossing for aid to enter the Gaza Strip, but he spoke to him and convinced him to open it, according to what he said.

Biden described the Israeli response behavior in Gaza as exceeding the limit, in unprecedented statements criticizing Israeli behavior, and stressed that he is working to reach a sustainable cessation of fighting.

He said in a surprise speech at the White House that he had put strong pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, where “there are many innocent people, women and children, who are starving and in dire need of it,” as he put it.

In what appeared to be a confusion between the Egyptian and Mexican presidents, Biden said in response to a question at a press conference, “At first, President Sisi of Mexico did not want to open the crossing to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. I spoke to him and convinced him to open the crossing, and I also spoke to Bibi (Netanyahu) and convinced him to open it.” The Israeli side of the crossing.

The American President spoke about the contacts he has been conducting since the beginning of the war with Qatari, Egyptian, and Saudi officials, in order to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, stressing that he is pushing hard to bring aid into the Strip.

He added during his speech that he was pressing hard to reach a truce agreement that included the release of detainees held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

John Kirby: A major military operation in Rafah at this time would be a disaster (French)

Support declines

After Washington announced its full support for the Israeli war on Gaza and its rejection of a permanent ceasefire, the pressure on the US President’s administration increased and in recent weeks some differences in priorities began to appear between the White House and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and American statements witnessed a change in Washington’s language towards Netanyahu’s government. .

Earlier on Thursday, the White House said that it would not support any Israeli plans to carry out major military operations in Rafah, and that negotiations were continuing regarding the release of detainees and the completion of a truce agreement in Gaza.

Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that parts of Hamas' response "were very positive and others require more work," noting that work is being done around the clock, and that Washington is optimistic about reaching an agreement.

The devastating Israeli war on Gaza has entered its fifth month, and most of its victims are children and women, according to the Palestinian authorities. It has also caused “massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the United Nations.

In the latest statistics, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Friday that at least 27,947 Palestinians were martyred and 67,459 were injured in the Israeli aggression on the Strip since October 7.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies