The Palestinian Hamas movement has denied reports of a meeting in Qatar between its representatives and the director of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, to discuss the possibility of European Union (EU) control over the Rafah land crossing, located on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Hamas refuted both the existence of the alleged meeting between Khalil al-Haya, a member of its politburo, West Bank leader Zaher Jabarin, and Mossad director David Barnea, as well as the content of the purported talks. According to a statement on Hamas's Telegram channel, it is "not true" that Barnea had insisted Hamas agree to a proposal transferring control of the Rafah crossing to the EU, with the involvement of Palestinians not aligned with the movement.
John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, recently stated that the US administration could not confirm reports of Israel's intention to transfer control of the Rafah crossing to the EU and the Palestinians.
Until recently, Rafah served as the primary crossing point for humanitarian aid entering Gaza and for transferring sick and injured Palestinians to Egypt. However, it has been nearly inactive for about two months. On May 7, the Israeli military took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing, prompting Cairo to announce on May 11 that it had no intention of coordinating further actions regarding the crossing with Israel. Shortly after, Egyptian authorities held Israel fully responsible for the closure of Rafah and the disruption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. Currently, humanitarian supplies enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, with most aid still coming from Egypt.
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Photo: Catholic Church England and Wales/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS