Egypt announced on Thursday that the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip is open and has not been closed by Egypt, but "the destruction of its facilities due to Israeli bombing prevents it from operating normally."

A statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said: "Egypt confirmed that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is open for operation and has not been closed at any stage since the current crisis began, contrary to the inaccurate information being circulated."

However, it added that "the destruction of its essential facilities on the Palestinian side due to the repeated aggression of the Zionist bombardment prevents it from operating normally."

Egypt called on the Zionist entity to "avoid targeting the Palestinian side of the crossing, so that the repair and restoration efforts can succeed in enabling it to function as a crossing and lifeline to support the Palestinians in the strip."

The statement also clarified that "Egypt has invited all countries and regional and international organizations wishing to provide humanitarian and relief assistance to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, in alleviation of their suffering and in response to the violent and continuous bombing, to deliver that assistance to Al-Arish International Airport, which has been designated by the Egyptian authorities to receive international humanitarian assistance from various parties and organizations."

It reiterated that "the humanitarian responsibility and global moral values compel those with a conscience in every part of the world to take the initiative to provide humanitarian support to the Palestinian people, who are currently facing numerous dangers."

This comes as the crossing on the Palestinian side was bombed on Tuesday, as part of a Zionist plan to cut off supplies and aid to the Gaza Strip, disrupting traffic there.