CAIRO – 3 December 2025: An official Egyptian source told Al Qahera News Channel on Wednesday that Egypt affirms its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, specifically regarding the operation of the Rafah crossing.
This includes using the crossing in both directions to receive the wounded and injured from Gaza and to facilitate the return of Palestinians to the Strip.
The source emphasized that the failure to operate the Rafah crossing in both directions explicitly contradicts the plan of US President Donald Trump.
The source stressed that allowing the Rafah crossing to open in only one direction "perpetuates the displacement of Palestinians."
Head of Egypt’s State Information Service Diaa Rashwan said on Wednesday that reports circulating in Israeli media, citing unnamed sources, regarding coordination to open the Rafah crossing in the coming days to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza, are ‘typical Israeli practices.’
He clarified that these reports, as announced by an official Egyptian source, are completely baseless.
Rashwan added, in a statement to Al Qahera News Channel, that there is absolutely no coordination between Egypt and Israel regarding opening the crossing from the Palestinian side only, “meaning allowing Palestinians to leave their territory for Egypt.”
He affirmed that this has never happened before and does not believe it will ever happen in the future.
He emphasized that Egypt has kept the crossing open from both sides since the beginning of the war.
“These Israeli claims are completely untrue, and the Egyptian source confirmed this in its earlier statements. Egypt affirms that displacement, whether forced or voluntary, is a red line, alongside threats to national security. These are the two red lines for Egyptian policy.”
Rashwan stated that Israel's dissemination of rumors and inaccurate information regarding coordination with Egypt to open the Rafah crossing is not unprecedented, adding that “this tactic has been repeated on numerous occasions throughout the war.”
“When the Israeli side does this, it usually tries to shift the blame onto others. They know full well that President Trump's plan—signed by Benjamin Netanyahu with Hamas and guaranteed by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States—stipulates in Article 12 that no one from the Gaza Strip will be forced to leave their territory, and if they leave voluntarily, they have the right to return,” Rashwan explained.
He further explained that the leak suggesting a Palestinian withdrawal to the Egyptian side is an attempt to burden Egypt with the Israeli plan, which is rejected and condemned in principle by Egypt and the entire world.
He clarified that this plan aims either to pressure Palestinians to leave forcibly or to destroy Gaza, rendering it uninhabitable so they would leave voluntarily.
“The Trump plan also stipulated encouraging people to stay in the Strip and providing them with opportunities to rebuild. Therefore, what was included in President Trump's plan—which was signed by Netanyahu, Hamas, and guaranteed by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States—is the exact opposite of what the Israeli authorities are trying to spread through rumors and lies about Egypt, holding it responsible,” Rashwan concluded.
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