Palestinian Authority Daily: Hamas Is Responsible For The Siege On Gaza And The Closing Of The Rafah Crossing

Memri

3 days ago

In a recent editorial, the Palestinian Authority (PA) mouthpiece Al-Hayat Al-Jadida wrote that responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza lies not only with Israel but also with Hamas, because it was the October 7 attack on Israel, carried out by Hamas with Iran's help, that led to the closing of the Rafah border crossing, which had been Gaza's "lifeline."[1] The editorial was published in response to statements made by Khalil Al-Hayya, member of Hamas's Leadership Council and of its political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and head of the movement's negotiation team, in which he called on the Egyptian and Jordanian people to "storm Palestine by land and by sea" in order to "break the siege on Gaza." Directly addressing the Egyptian people, leaders, army and tribes Al-Khaya added: "[Can it be that] your brothers in Gaza are dying of hunger [right] on your border, close to you?!... The great Egypt must speak out boldly [and say]: 'Gaza will not starve. [Egypt] will not let the [Israeli] enemy leave the crossing closed while the people of Gaza are in need…'[2]
Al-Hayya's speech, published on Hamas's media platforms and in Qatari media outlets, such as Al-Jazeera, is part of a campaign waged by the axis of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar against the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes in light of the stalemate in the ceasefire talks with Israel, a campaign that threatens the stability of these regimes.[3]
The Al-Hayat Al-Jadida editorial claimed that Al-Hayya's calls to open the Rafah crossing "are far from innocent" and are meant to incite the masses in order to foment "chaos and destruction" that will exacerbate the Gaza war and torpedo Egypt's efforts to end it.
"No limit to the destruction" – cartoon on X account of Palestinian journalist Majdy Abd Al-Wahab, who wrote: "After destroying Gaza, Al-Hayya wants to destroy Egypt" (X.com/majdywahab, July 28, 2025)
The following are translated excerpts from the editorial.[4]
"Who really turned the Rafah crossing into a crossing of killing and starvation, when it used to be the lifeline of our people in Gaza, as Khalil Al-Hayya called it in his impudently aggressive [remarks against] the Arab Egypt and the Hashemite [Kingdom of] Jordan…?? The answer is clear: it was the Israeli occupation, of course. But in practice, the occupation is definitely not the only [culprit]!! This crossing was open until October 7, 2023, and was no doubt a lifeline before the 'Flood[5] [carried out by] Qassem Soleimani, the [Iranian] general who wanted a Revolutionary Guards [Corps] in Egypt and Jordan!! This fact is very well known to Khalil Al-Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, who is no longer familiar with Gaza because he lives [in Qatar], the arena of the populist channels of incitement and civil war [like Al-Jazeera and Al-Araby]. [Al-Hayya] knows that October 7 was the event that paved the way for the occupation army to reach Rafah and close the crossing there!!
"Today Al-Hayya demands that Egypt breach the crossing, citing the slogan of keeping the Gazans from starving to death. [But] he knows better than anyone that if this happens, it will cause the war to expand… leading only to more chaos and destruction. So it seems that this demand is [just] a call to undermine Egypt's efforts to stop the war and bring more aid into Gaza… Al-Hayya also urges the people in the sister country of Jordan to 'continue their popular uprising and increase their efforts to stop the heinous crime of starvation.' But nobody understands how a popular uprising [in Jordan] is supposed to stop the war [in Gaza]…
"Al-Hayya's demands are far from innocent, and are not intended to stop the heinous crime of starvation. They are calls of incitement against the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, meant to spread chaos [in that country], which is always defending the Palestinian cause…
"Al-Hayya's demands are simply the demands of the MB, which is attacking Egypt and Jordan in order to undermine their national and social security by [spreading] chaos and security anarchy, in hopes of regaining the reins of government in Egypt after being deposed, and regaining its presence in Jordan, which crumbled [after] its conspiracies [against the state] were exposed…"