In May, the Israeli military seized the Rafah crossing and established control all along the border in violation of the Camp David Accords, a peace deal that Israel and Egypt signed in 1979.
The Rafah border has been closed since the Israeli army seized it in May, preventing the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid from Egypt and preventing Palestinians from escaping the war to Egypt.
The General Intelligence official told MEE that Egypt was willing to allow Israel to maintain control of the border as long as the Rafah crossing is reopened and operated by Palestinians.
MEE notes Egypt may have agreed to Israel’s terms for financial reasons. The Qatari-funded outlet reported that, before Israel shut the crossing, a company owned by an Egyptian businessman close to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was making around $2 million per day by charging Palestinians trying to escape the war.
Palestinians were forced to pay Ibrahim al-Organi’s Hala Consulting and Tourism Services $5,000 per adult and $2,500 for children to cross the border into Egypt.
The diplomat said some people who profited from the crossing during the war were involved in the negotiations with Israel.