“Egypt rejects the Israeli military presence on the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid,” Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, said during a meeting in Cairo with UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of a conference for Gaza humanitarian response.

The Israeli army captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing in southern Gaza in May during its offensive on Rafah city. The terminal is a vital route for humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been under a crippling blockade since 2007.

Tel Aviv has rejected Egyptian calls to withdraw forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarised zone on the Egypt-Gaza border.

Abdelatty underlined the importance of rallying international efforts to allow access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting, the top Egyptian diplomat and UN official discussed Egypt’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.