In call later today, Biden to urge Egypt’s Sissi to release Gaza aid piling up at shuttered Rafah gate

US President Joe Biden will hold a phone call later today with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and ask him to allow aid from Egypt to be transferred to Gaza through Israel’s Kerem Shalom Crossing, a US official says, confirming an Axios report.

Aid has been piling up in Egypt since Israel launched an operation taking over the Gaza side of the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt on May 7.

Not wanting to be seen as complicit with Israel’s occupation of the gate, Egypt has refused to re-open Rafah until Israeli troops have withdrawn from the other side.

In the meantime, the US and Israel have urged Cairo to at least allow the aid piling up in Egypt to be transferred to Israel where it can be delivered into Gaza through Kerem Shalom.

Egypt has thus far refused, still deeming such a move as collaboration with Israel’s military offensive in the southern Gaza city.

The stance has led to rare criticism from the Biden administration, which had until this week only offered praise of Egypt’s role in the war — both as a mediator and as a facilitator of aid.

In an effort to break the impasse earlier this month, Israel quietly asked the Palestinian Authority to take over the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing instead of Hamas.

But Israel conditioned the offer on officers not identifying themselves as part of the PA due to fears that this would spark opposition from far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, the US official told The Times of Israel. The offer was rejected by Ramallah, which said it would not comply unless Israel agreed to establish a pathway to a future Palestinian state — a non-starter for the hardline government in Jerusalem, the US official added.

Since that rejection, Israel and Egypt have been in talks about having Palestinians not directly affiliated with Hamas or the PA running the Rafah Crossing with assistance from international organizations, the US official said.

Biden’s call with Sissi is also expected to touch on efforts to revive the hostage talks.

Egypt has fumed over recent reporting in The Times of Israel and CNN that it provided separate proposals to Israel and Hamas in the last round of negotiations, contributing to their collapse two weeks ago. Cairo has threatened to cease its mediation efforts over attempts to doubt its role — a threat made by Qatar last month as well.

But the US official said Egypt remains involved in the latest efforts to broker a hostage deal.