US Secretary of State voices confidence in Gaza aid delivery, Rafah crossing to reopen

Cairo [Egypt]: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has voiced confidence in his recent conversation with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi regarding the delivery of aid to people in Gaza and said that the Rafah crossing will be reopened.

He made the remarks to the press at Cairo Airport on Sunday and added that the measures are being put in place with the United Nations, Egypt, Israel, and others to get assistance in and to get it to people who need it.

“With regard to Rafah, I had a very good conversation with President El-Sisi. We have put in place – Egypt has put in place a lot of material support for people in Gaza. And Rafah will be reopened. We’re putting in place with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others, a mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to people who need it,” he said.

“And that’s exactly why Ambassador Satterfield is now taking this on – the President appointed him today. He’ll be here on the ground tomorrow to work out all the practical details so we can move this forward,” he added.

Reiterating the US’ stand to ensure support to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas, Blinken said that he went to other nations in the Middle East to ensure the conflict does not spread.

“Well, first, there’s a determination in every country I went to to make sure that this conflict doesn’t spread. President Biden has been very clear about this, and you’ve heard him repeatedly say to anyone, state or non-state, that is thinking of taking advantage of this situation: don’t do it. And we’ve backed up those words with concrete actions, including the deployment now of our two largest aircraft carrier battle groups to the region.

That’s not meant as a provocation; it’s meant as a deterrent. It’s meant to make clear that no one should do anything that could add fuel to the fire in any other place. So I think that’s very clear,” Blinken said.

He further added, “It’s also clear from our conversations with all of these other countries that they strongly share that view and they are using their own influence, their own relationships to try to make sure that this doesn’t happen.”

US State Secretary Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Al Ittihadiya Palace in Egypt’s Cairo on Sunday and affirmed the immediate halt of Hamas attacks on Israel and de-escalation of war.

The US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated about the meeting saying, “Secretary of State Antony J Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi today in Egypt. Secretary Blinken underscored the United States’ focus on halting Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and preventing the conflict from spreading.”

Both leaders also underscored the significance of ensuring a humanitarian passage for the safe movement of civilians to evacuate them from Gaza.

The statement read further, “The Secretary and President Sisi agreed on the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza to ensure assistance can reach people who need it and help keep civilians out of harms way. Secretary Blinken reiterated to President El-Sisi the importance of facilitating the safe passage of American citizens and family members from Gaza.”

Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners residing in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, with the Israeli forces agreeing to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the Hamas-controlled territory.

The Hamas-run health ministry says some 2,329 Palestinians have been killed and another 9,042 have been wounded in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces has said it has killed some 1,500 Palestinian terrorists in Israeli territory after they breached the border fence and rampaged murderously in southern Israel, killing over 1,300 people, mostly civilians.