The mediating countries, Egypt and Qatar, along with six other Muslim countries, expressed their strong concern about his decision to open the passage to , but only to and not to .
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Pakistan point out that statements by Israeli officials to open the crossing in only one direction create fears that an attempt will be made to move the residents of Gaza to Egypt.
Israel had announced on Wednesday that it planned to reopen the crossing “in the coming days”, clarifying that its use would only concern the departure of Palestinians to Egyptian territory. COGAT, the responsible agency of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, confirmed that the measure is only one-way.
It does not align with the Trump plan
Egypt has been quick to deny that it has accepted such an arrangement, stressing that the crossing must operate normally in both directions.
The eight foreign ministers underlined that they completely reject any plan or action that could lead to the displacement of Palestinians from their land, stressing that they will not accept any form of forced exit of the residents of Gaza.
They also emphasized that the operation of the Rafah crossing must be in line with the peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump, which provides for full two-way use.
The reopening of Rafa has been a key demand of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations for months. However, since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israel has not given its approval, citing the pending handover of all the bodies of the hostages by Hamas and the need for immediate coordination with Cairo.
