A senior Hamas official has stated that the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions directly undermines Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alleged plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Nazzal, speaking on Al Jazeera Mubasher, described the crossing’s opening as a critical test of the seriousness of implementing the first phase of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement. He noted that the announcement of the crossing’s impending opening, as stated by Dr. Ali Shaath, head of the transitional committee for managing the Gaza Strip, reportedly provoked strong opposition from Netanyahu, leading him to lodge an official protest with the US administration in an attempt to obstruct the move.
Nazzal emphasized that opening the Rafah crossing in both directions is not merely a humanitarian or administrative measure, but carries significant political weight. It effectively thwarts what he described as the Israeli vision of opening the crossing in only one direction – from Gaza to Egypt – to prevent Palestinians from returning to their land.
He added that there is Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic insistence, along with regional and international support, including from the US administration, for the crossing to be opened. He warned that failure to do so would mean the agreement remains stalled without real progress. Nazzal suggested that recent US visits to Israel aimed to contain the Israeli government’s objections and convey to Netanyahu that continued obstruction of the agreement could lead to its complete collapse.
Regarding the administration of the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Nazzal affirmed Hamas’s complete readiness for the handover to the Palestinian technocratic committee headed by Dr. Ali Shaath. He stated that Hamas has clearly expressed its position, and there are no obstacles on its part preventing the implementation of this step. The main obstacle, he explained, is the Israeli blockade preventing members of the committee from reaching the Gaza Strip. He insisted that the responsibility lies primarily with Israel, and with the mediators and the US sponsor to exert the necessary pressure to compel Netanyahu to implement the terms of the agreement as agreed upon.
He concluded by stating that Hamas and other resistance factions are ready.
