In exclusive comments to Doha News, Egypt’s foreign minister said the Rafah crossing would not be used for the forced displacement of Palestinians and called for international monitoring of the Gaza ceasefire
Egypt maintains that the Rafah crossing has remained open on the Egyptian side “24/7”, but says it has effectively been sealed on the Gaza side due to Israeli control and blockade.
Speaking to Doha News during the Doha Forum 2025, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said: “The Rafah crossing is [open] for the entry of people, and only evacuating those who are injured and need treatment outside.”
He stressed that Rafah crossing would not be used for the forced displacement of Palestinians, adding that this position was non-negotiable.
“This will not happen. This is not going to happen. This is a red line, and we said it many times before,” Abdelatty said. “So if injured people would like to get treatment, we will allow them, of course, they are most welcome…[but once they] finish their treatment, they can go back to Gaza. [The crossing must] not be used for displacing people.”
His comment came just days after Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that the Rafah crossing would open “in the coming days, exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt”.
“The residents’ exit through the Rafah crossing will be facilitated through coordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism that operated in January 2025,” the COGAT said.
Cairo swiftly rejected the statement, calling it a unilateral move that violates the terms of the truce under the 20-point plan brokered by Donald Trump.
Beyond Rafah, the foreign minister outlined Egypt’s expectations for the next phase of the Gaza “peace plan”.
He said the immediate priority was the rapid deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to monitor commitments on the ground, oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, and support early recovery efforts.
These, he told Doha News, include reconstruction, emergency shelter, and restoring basic services ahead of winter.
Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli attacks since the start of the war had killed 70,100 people, with more than 350 of those reported since the 10 October “truce”.
Abdelatty condemned these violations, describing them as “deplorable” and “unacceptable”.
“[Israel] has to honour its commitments according to the ceasefire,” he told Doha News. “And that’s why the American engagement and the international community engagement is very important to push Israel to abide by its commitments according to the ceasefire, especially the personal involvement of [US] President [Donald] Trump, of course.”
