CAIRO, May 8. /TASS/. The Palestinian radical Hamas movement rejects any plans to establish a third-party control over the Rafah crossing on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the group said.
"We reject the introduction of any form of control by any party at the Rafah border crossing and consider it as an occupation," the statement said. "We call on the Arab League and all Arab and Islamic countries, especially the brothers in Egypt, who have international and regional weight, to reject any plans that affect Palestinian-Egyptian sovereignty at the Rafah crossing," Hamas said.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press office reported that the Israeli military had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing on the enclave’s border with Egypt. In addition, the press service announced the start of a "precise counterterrorism operation" in the eastern part of Rafah, as well as strikes on Hamas military facilities in the area and the elimination of 20 armed radicals. The Haaretz newspaper later reported, citing sources, that after the operation, control of the crossing would be taken over by a private American company.