Netanyahu Reiterates Opposition to Reopening Rafah Crossing

TEHRAN (Defapress) - According to Al Jazeera, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated yesterday, in violation of the ceasefire agreement with Gaza: The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, and its reopening depends on the handover of the bodies of Israeli prisoners by Hamas.

Netanyahu's statements came after the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo announced that the Rafah Crossing would be reopened starting Monday to allow Palestinian citizens residing in the Arab Republic of Egypt who wish to return to the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu's decision to prevent the Rafah crossing from reopening until further notice is a clear violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement and a disregard for the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties.

The statement added: "Continuing to close the Rafah crossing and preventing the exit of the wounded and sick and the movement of citizens in both directions, and preventing the entry of special equipment necessary for the search operation for those missing under the rubble, and preventing the entry of equipment and specialized teams to examine the bodies and verify their identities, will lead to delays in the operation to extract and deliver the bodies."