According to reports from Ahram Online, Israeli occupation forces bombed the Gazan/Egyptian Rafah border crossing, enforcing a siege of 2.3 million Palestinians and making it impossible to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. 

Following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched from the Gaza Strip by Hamas on October 7, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip. The besieged and densely populated enclave was pounded by Israeli air strikes, blocking food, fuel and other humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians throughout Gaza. 

In a video message referring to the overcrowded enclave, Gallant raved, “We are putting a complete siege on Gaza… No electricity, no food, no water, no gas — it’s all closed.

“We are fighting animals and are acting accordingly,” he continued. 

However, fearing the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian government had been trying to plan and execute aid shipments to Palestinians through the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border. 

According to Ahram Online, Palestinian sources at the Rafah crossing reported the Israeli occupation forces bombed the only road leading to the crossing a second time on Tuesday morning.

“After the initial bombardment on Monday, maintenance teams were repairing the road, but Israeli forces subsequently bombed it again, necessitating the evacuation of all working teams at the crossing,” the sources said.

Ahram Online’s report also said that N12, an Israeli media outlet, claimed the Israeli government informed the Egyptians that any aid trucks entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing would be bombed. 

Despite threats from the Israeli government, the United Nations, other aid agencies and organizations discussed sending aid through the Rafah crossing with the Egyptian government, according to an Egyptian aid worker and official. 

They said the Israeli government and the Biden administration were contacted by Egyptian authorities seeking to secure humanitarian corridors in Gaza despite the constant bombardment in the area by Israeli forces. 

Since Hamas’ attack began on Saturday, more than 900 Israelis have been killed, with at least 130 others captured who are being held in Gaza by Hamas. 

During the same time, according to the spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 820 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, including at least 105 women and 140 children. 

More than 4,250 Palestinians have been injured. Entire neighborhoods and apartment blocks have been leveled throughout Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are now homeless. More than 2.3 million Palestinians are at risk due to the imminent suspension of the electricity generation company.

Egyptian security sources warned of the Israelis proposing a plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai on Tuesday. The sources assured such a “historically and politically corrupt” proposal would be rejected by the Egyptians, according to reports from Ahram Online. 

Not long before Israeli forces bombed the crossing, an Israeli spokesperson encouraged Palestinians to flee for Egypt using the Rafah crossing. 

 “Anyone who can out, I would advise them to get out,” Chief Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said.