In Egypt, Blinken discusses need to reopen Rafah Crossing — US State Department

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “discussed the importance of reopening the Rafah Border Crossing” between Gaza and Egypt during his meeting earlier today with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, according to a US readout.

A US official and an Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week that talks between Israel, Egypt and the United States aimed at reopening the crossing remain at an impasse over Israel’s refusal to accept any involvement by the Palestinian Authority in the management of the border terminal on the Gaza side, which Israel took over last month.

The sides also discussed the latest Israeli hostage deal proposal, as well as “post-conflict governance” in Gaza, “which the ceasefire proposal would advance,” the State Department readout says.

Blinken “reaffirmed the United States’ rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza” — a line that the US regularly includes in US readouts on meetings with Egyptian officials due to Cairo’s  extreme sensitivity to the possibility that Israeli military operations in Gaza will lead to the mass migration of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula.