Egypt says opens Rafah crossing since "1st moment" of Gaza conflict

CAIRO - The Egyptian presidency, in response to U.S. President Joe Biden's statement, said Friday that Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing to enable the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip since "the first moment" of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Egypt has mobilized massive humanitarian aid and relief from itself and other countries," the presidency said, adding that the persistent bombing of the Palestinian side of the crossing by Israel four times obstructed the aid delivery process.

On Thursday, speaking to reporters, Biden said, "Initially, the president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to open the gate to (allow) humanitarian material to get in," mistakenly calling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the leader of Mexico.

"Egypt endured immense pressure and challenges to smooth the inflow and increase the amount of aid to Gaza," the statement underscored, adding that 80 percent of the aid provided to Gaza came from the Egyptian government, people, and civil societies.

The statement reiterated the Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire and protect the civilians.

Israel has been waging a massive military campaign against Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, after the movement's surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The Israeli blockade and bombardment of Gaza have so far killed nearly 28,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Friday.

The aid trucks first entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Oct. 21, 2023, while wounded people and foreign passport holders have been entering the Egyptian side since the beginning of last November.