Preparations are underway for the Rafah crossing to open and start operating again as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was “imminent”, Egyptian sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication on Tuesday.
The arrangements have already started to allow for the entry of aid as soon as a ceasefire deal is announced, the report said, adding that humanitarian aid and fuel would cross into the besieged enclave as a priority.
Wounded Palestinians would also be allowed to travel through the cross within a week after the ceasefire deal is reached, the source added.
Tents to house the displaced and equipment to remove the rubble will also be brought in.
On Monday, Egyptian, Israeli and US officials met in Cairo to discuss the Philadephi Corridor and the Rafah crossing. The crossing, located between Egypt and Gaza, was a lifeline for emergency aid coming into the besieged enclave.
The meetings focussed on the protection of borders after Israeli forces withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor and Rafah crossing area. Officials also discussed the stages of the Israeli withdrawal and how Egypt can ensure border security in the coming period.
Egypt’s former assistant minister of foreign affairs, Husseun Haridi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “Egypt has the full capacity to operate the Rafah crossing with great efficiency to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, transferring the wounded and the exchange of prisoners and detainees”.
He added that this all depends on full coordination and management on the Palestinian side of the crossing, noting the Palestinian Authority’s role to ensure the process is completed properly.
The latest developments came as negotiators met in Doha on Tuesday to finalise the terms after US President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire and captive exchange deal was on “the brink” of being agreed.
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of the agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing U.S. president and President-elect Donald Trump.
The first phase of the deal will see a cessation in hostilities and 33 captives released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners. It will also see a surge in humanitarian aid – around 600 trucks entering a day.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 46,645 Palestinians and wounded over 110,012 others. It has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
