Egypt said to stop sending aid to Gaza to force Israel from Rafah Crossing

Egypt has halted deliveries of aid to the Gaza Strip in protest of the IDF’s takeover of the Rafah Crossing, according to Hebrew media reports.

Walla news site reporter Barak Ravid quotes an Israeli official as saying that Egypt is refusing to send trucks ferrying aid through the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Gaza and southern Israel until the IDF withdraws from the Rafah Crossing, leading to a significant drop in the amount of humanitarian assistance entering the enclave.

Unnamed senior American officials assert that Jerusalem did not properly coordinate with Cairo prior to the operation at Rafah, but say they are pressing the Egyptians to resume the aid deliveries through Kerem Shalom.

A similar report by Channel 12 news says that Israeli officials are concerned that if the aid shipments don’t start up again in the coming days, there could be a serious shortage of goods in Gaza that will lead to fresh international pressure on Israel.

“This is a tough blow. Israel is interested in bringing in humanitarian aid, but without Egyptian cooperation it’s simply impossible,” an Israeli source tells the network. “The Egyptians know this and are relying on the international pressure that will require Israel to stop.”