Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Tuesday that Israel is solely responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
This came in response to statements from the Israeli Foreign Minister demanding the reopening of the Rafah crossing and holding Egypt responsible for preventing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s categorical rejection of Israel’s “policy of distorting facts” and shirking responsibility.
Israel’s control over the the Palestinian side of Rafah crossing, its military operations in the vicinity of the crossing and the resulting exposure of the lives of relief workers and truck drivers to imminent danger are the main reasons aid has not been able to come in, Shoukry explained.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister strongly denounced Israel’s desperate efforts to hold Egypt responsible for the unprecedented humanitarian crisis facing Gaza Strip, which is directly due to Israel’s indiscriminate attacks against the Palestinians for more than seven months which has killed over 35,000 citizens – most of whom were women and children.
The Foreign Minister called on Israel to fulfill its legal responsibility as the occupying power, by allowing aid to enter through the land ports under its control.
