U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian Officials Met to Discuss Control of Rafah Crossing

Latest Developments

Officials from the United States, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) held a secret meeting in Tel Aviv last week to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire deal, Axios reported on July 17. U.S. officials believe that reopening the border crossing is a crucial step to the first phase of a ceasefire deal announced by the United States on May 31, which includes transferring wounded Hamas terrorists for treatment in Egypt. The meeting’s participants included White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, PA Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh — a top deputy of PA President Mahmoud Abbas — and the PA’s director of intelligence Majed Faraj.

The meeting marked the first time that U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian officials have met since Hamas’s October 7 massacre. According to the report, Israeli officials reiterated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance that the PA should not be involved in operating the crossing but suggested having the PA participate in an unofficial capacity — a solution that the PA representatives at the meeting rejected. 

Expert Analysis

“It is important that Israel and Egypt come to an agreement about the Rafah crossing. It is essential that the crossing be secured and maintained in the future in such a way that Hamas cannot again exploit humanitarian aid entering Gaza and use the Gazan side of the crossing to hijack the situation and fuel its attempt to rebuild its terrorist capabilities.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Cairo would prefer not to have revealed the blind eye it turned to Hamas smuggling via the Sinai. Therefore, Egypt is using Palestinian suffering to pressure the Israelis to leave the border, which is riddled with smuggling tunnels. This is an effective approach for the Egyptians because international condemnation will be directed at Israel, not Egypt, for Palestinian hardship.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

Egypt Refuses to Open Crossing Until Israel Cedes Control

The Rafah crossing at the entrance to the Philadelphi Corridor is a significant entry point for people and supplies to flow into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Egypt halted the flow of aid through the crossing in retaliation to Israeli troops taking control of the Gazan side of the crossing at the start of a ground operation in Rafah on May 7 — a move that Egypt vehemently opposed. During its ongoing operation in Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has uncovered dozens of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt — Hamas’s “lifeline” through which the Iran-backed terrorist group trafficked arms and personnel. While most of the aid that previously went through the Rafah crossing has been redirected to Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, Egypt remains steadfast that it would not reopen the crossing if Israel does not hand over control of the opposite side of the border to the Palestinians.

Negotiators Looking for Alternatives

Prime Minister Netanyahu said on July 12 that he would not allow Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal that would relinquish Israeli control of the Egypt-Gaza border or hand control to the PA. Still, Bloomberg News reported on July 18 that Israeli officials are considering handing control of the crossing to a combined contingent of security-cleared Palestinians and the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah (EUBAM), which operated at the crossing before Hamas’s 2007 takeover of Gaza.

Meanwhile, the IDF continues its operations along the Philadelphi Corridor. On July 18, Reuters reported that Israeli tanks advanced deeper into Rafah on the western side of the city, where the IDF said that its forces discovered several tunnels and killed several gunmen.

Related Analysis

“CIA Director Reports Hamas Military Commanders Pressing Yahya Sinwar to End War,” FDD Flash Brief

“Netanyahu Dismisses Claim That Israel May Vacate the Philadelphi Corridor,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Orders Evacuation of Gaza City as Ceasefire Talks Persist,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Discovers ‘There is Almost No Home Without a Tunnel’ in Rafah,” FDD Flash Brief