Egypt remains adamant: No reopening of Rafah crossing before IDF withdrawal

The Egyptian representative at the meeting with national security chiefs from around the region said that Rafah crossing would remain closed until the IDF withdrew from both the crossing and the Philadephi corridor, according to Qatari paper al-Arabi al-Jadid, as reported by Israel Hayom.

The representative also insisted that the easiest way to stop other related conflicts in the region such as the Houthi blockade on shipping in the Red Sea was to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

He also said that if the IDF withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip, Egypt would consider being part of a multinational force in some, less densely populated parts of Gaza on a solely fixed and temporary basis.

Regarding the question of cooperation against Iran, the representative said that they would not take part in any military or security effort against any state in the region - presumably including Iran.