Cairo, seven Islamic countries voice concern over Israeli statements on opening Rafah crossing to expel Gazans into Egypt

CAIRO – 5 December 2025: The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and  Qatar expressed their deep concern regarding the Israeli statements concerning the opening of the Rafah Crossing in one direction, with the aim of transferring residents of the Gaza Strip into Egypt.

The Ministers underscored their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land and  stressed the necessity of the full adherence to the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, including its provisions on keeping the Rafah Crossing open in both directions, ensuring the freedom of movement for the population, and refraining from compelling any resident of the Gaza Strip to leave, rather to create the right conditions for them to stay on their land and participate in building their homeland, within a comprehensive vision aimed at restoring stability and improving their humanitarian conditions.

The Ministers reiterated their appreciation for President Trump’s commitment to establishing peace in the region, and emphasize the importance of moving forward with the full implementation of the “Trump Plan” without delay or obstruction, in order to achieve security and peace, and to consolidate the foundations of regional stability. 

In this regard, the Ministers underscored the need to fully sustain the ceasefire, alleviate civilian suffering, ensure the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip, initiate early recovery and reconstruction efforts, and create the conditions necessary for the Palestinian Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip - thereby laying the groundwork for a new phase of security and stability in the region.

The Ministers affirmed their countries’ readiness to continue working and coordinating with the United States and all  concerned regional and international parties to ensure the full implementation of UNSCR 2803 and all relevant UNSC resolutions and to provide the convenient ground for achieving a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in accordance with international legitimacy and the two-state solution, which should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the lines of 4 June 1967, including the occupied territories in Gaza and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

COGAT, Israeli army’s arm overseeing aid flows, claimed on Wednesday that Gaza’s Rafah crossing will open in the coming days to allow Palestinians in need of medical care to leave the enclave through Egypt. The opening will be coordinated with Egypt under EU supervision, following a mechanism used during a January 2025 ceasefire, Reuters reported, citing COGAT.

In response, 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.