SHARJAH: Former Egyptian information minister Osama Heikal told Arab News on Wednesday that both his country’s media and government failed to properly challenge Israel’s false claims about the Gaza blockade at the Rafah crossing.
Heikal, who was speaking at the International Government Communication Forum 2025 in Sharjah, described the two parties as being “negligent” in dealing with news of the blockade on Egypt’s border.
“There is no doubt that Israel resorts to deception in its statements … They said the Egyptian crossing is closed (and Israel) is not imposing a blockade on the Palestinians in Gaza. But in reality, the truth is that the crossing has two sides,” he explained.
The Rafah crossing was a vital entry point of aid in the early months of Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza, until Israeli troops took over its Palestinian side in May 2024, forcing it shut. The crossing borders Egypt and Tel Aviv continued to accuse Cairo of keeping it closed.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi repeatedly denied these claims, most recently on Aug. 5 and said Egypt would always remain a gateway for aid but not one for the displacement of the Palestinian people.
“Unfortunately, because we were negligent in handling this matter in the media, some people believed this claim. This is the result of the decline in education levels and cultural awareness in general,” Heikal told Arab News.
Heikal emphasized that news must fulfil three criteria which are speed, accuracy and credibility.
“In times of crises, it’s human nature to want to know what’s going on, so whoever shares the news first wins, regardless of its accuracy, usually the narrative that sticks is the first and fastest one that reaches people in times of crisis,” he added.
International entities including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the UN have declared a famine in Gaza for over 500,000 people.
The agencies collectively called for an immediate and full-scale humanitarian response given the escalating hunger-related deaths, rapidly worsening levels of acute malnutrition, and plummeting levels of food consumption.
However, Israel and many others deny these claims.
Heikal said that for this information to be verified Israel must allow journalists and media into the Gaza Strip.
“They are preventing entry. And this in itself proves the idea we are talking about: that they closed the crossing and prevented people from entering so they could be left alone with the Palestinians inside, carrying out mass killings in this way under the sight and hearing of the entire world.
“Therefore, we are facing a crime against humanity, and I believe that future generations will not be lenient about this issue,” he said.
