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Netanyahu Suggests Egypt Is Holding Gaza Civilians “Hostage”

(Worthy News) – Amid heightened tensions with Egypt since Israel began its ground operation against Hamas in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday intimated that Egypt was holding Gazan civilians “hostage” by not working with him to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing for humanitarian aid to enter the war-torn enclave, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Gaza’s city of Rafah is located close to the Egyptian border, which has remained shut to Palestinian civilians caught up in the ongoing war triggered by Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7 last year. A major gateway for the transfer of goods and people from Egypt to Gaza, the Rafah Crossing has been closed since May 7 when Israel seized control of it from Hamas.

Egypt has refused to open the Crossing on the grounds that this will encourage Israel to carry out a major offensive in Rafah and endanger one million displaced civilians encamped there. Israel says it needs to enter Rafah to destroy what the IDF say are the last remaining Hamas battalions and to rescue the remaining Israeli hostages.

In an interview with the US network CNBC on Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel wanted to ensure “maximum humanitarian aid flows” through Rafah but that Egyptian cooperation was required. “We want to see it open. I hope we can come to an understanding with Egypt,” Netanyahu said.

“I mean, that’s not our problem. We’re not holding up the opening of Rafah,” Netanyahu added. “I hope Egypt considers what I’m saying now,” he said. “Nobody should hold the Palestinian population hostage in any way and I’m not holding them hostage. I don’t think anyone should.”

In a statement Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel is “solely responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, TOI reports.

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