U.S. officials say they are working with the Egyptian authorities “round the clock” to get the Rafah crossing opened, but Egypt said in recent days that it had become inoperable due to Israeli airstrikes on the Gazan side.
Egyptian authorities say they won’t open the crossing without a guarantee from Israel that its humanitarian convoys, which have been waiting outside the border for days, won’t be attacked. Israel’s military said its strikes at Rafah were aimed at Hamas targets.
“There is an urgent need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Oct. 16.