FALCON POWERS – On Tuesday, associates close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel does not intend to hand over the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza Strip to the Palestinians, according to the Israeli Channel 12.
The source explained that “12 Knesset members from the Likud party signed a letter to Netanyahu, demanding that he keep the control of the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia corridor on the border with Egypt under the Israeli army’s control.”
Israel launched a ground operation in Rafah in early May, despite widespread international opposition amid concerns about civilians taking refuge there. Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing, raising concerns about potential border clashes with Egypt, which refuses to deal with the Israeli authorities at the crossing.
On Monday, an Egyptian soldier was killed in the area, and an Egyptian military statement said the incident occurred amid clashes between an Israeli force and Palestinian factions.
The Rafah crossing is the main point of entry for aid from Egypt, and it has been closed since Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side about 3 weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the Salah al-Din axis, known as the “Philadelphia corridor”, extends inside the Gaza Strip from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, along the Egyptian border, which is about 14 kilometers long.
