Israel’s announcement that the Rafah crossing will soon reopen for Palestinians seeking to leave Gaza has been framed as a gesture of support for the ongoing ceasefire. But the flurry of conflicting statements that followed tells a more complicated story ~ one in which humanitarian relief is still mediated through layers of strategic calculation, political theatre, and unresolved hostility. On paper, the plan appears orderly: exits through Rafah would resume under a mechanism involving Israeli security approval, Egyptian participation and supervision by a European mission.

In practice, even this limited arrangement immediately met with resistance. Cairo has publicly rejected any suggestion that it is coordinating with Israel. Its insistence that the crossing can operate only in accordance with the US-backed plan, and in both directions, is not merely a diplomatic clarification; it signals Egypt’s determination to avoid any perception of acquiescence to Israeli control over........

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