Cairo: Egypt denied on Wednesday Israeli allegations about the opening of the Rafah border crossing for the exit of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Egypt's State Information Service, citing an anonymous source, stated there was no coordination about reopening the Rafah crossing in the coming days for Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza.

According to Anadolu Agency, the source mentioned that any potential opening of the terminal will be in both directions for the entry and departure of Palestinians. This would be 'in accordance with what was stated in US President (Donald Trump)'s peace plan,' serving as a foundation for the ceasefire agreement that was implemented in Gaza on October 10.

The Israeli military body COGAT had claimed earlier on Wednesday that the border crossing would open in the coming days 'exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.' COGAT noted that the process would be facilitated through coordination with Egypt, pending security approval by Israel and would be under the supervision of the European Union mission, reflecting a mechanism similar to the one that operated in January 2025.

The Rafah border crossing, located in southern Gaza, was initially scheduled to reopen last October as part of the ceasefire agreement. However, it remained closed due to Israel's non-compliance with the deal. Since May 2024, the Israeli army has restricted the movement of Palestinians through the crossing, which was Gaza's sole connection to the outside world not controlled by Tel Aviv before the onset of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza in October 2023.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported on Tuesday that more than 16,500 Palestinian patients are in need of life-saving medical care outside Gaza. Since October 2023, the Israeli army's assault has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 people in Gaza, predominantly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others, leaving the enclave devastated.

Gaza's government media office reported that the army has violated the ceasefire approximately 591 times, resulting in the deaths of 357 people and injuries to 903 others. Additionally, Israel continues to obstruct the entry of sufficient food and medicine into the besieged territory, where about 2.4 million Palestinians endure dire humanitarian conditions.