Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has accused Israel of evading efforts to establish a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Speaking to Arab leaders at a summit in Manama, Sisi criticised Israel’s continued military operations in Rafah, a southern border city between Egypt and Gaza.
He claimed that Israel was using the border crossing to tighten the siege on the enclave.
“We found Israel continuing to escape its responsibilities and evade efforts exerted to reach a ceasefire,” President Sisi stated.
He emphasised that relying solely on military solutions to secure interests or achieve security is a delusion.
The Rafah border crossing is a critical route for aid to Gaza that faces a worsening humanitarian crisis and stares at a famine.
Both Israel and Egypt have traded accusations regarding the closure of this vital crossing. On Tuesday, Israel stated that it was Egypt’s responsibility to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow humanitarian relief into Gaza.
In response, Cairo condemned what it called “desperate attempts” by Israel to shift the blame for aid blockage.
Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister has said that additional troops would join a ground operation in Rafah, and that the campaign was wearing down Hamas.
“This operation will continue as additional forces will enter (the area). Several tunnels have been destroyed by our troops and additional tunnels will be destroyed soon,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.
“This activity will intensify. Hamas is not an organisation that can reorganize. It does not have reserve troops, it has no supply stocks and no ability to treat the terrorists that we target. The result is that we are wearing Hamas down,” he said.
The conflict has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with the blockade restricting the flow of essential supplies.
Despite ongoing mediation efforts by Egypt, a ceasefire has remained elusive.
With inputs from Reuters
