Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Wednesday that his government is ready to operate the Rafah border crossing after the Israeli army withdraws.

During a meeting with Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Mustafa said that the Gaza Strip is a part of the Palestinian state, according to a statement issued by his office.

He added that his government is ready to operate the Rafah border crossing in accordance with the 2005 agreement.

In 2005, Israel and the Palestinian Authority achieved an agreement, which stipulates that Rafah would be operated by the Palestinian Authority on its side and Egypt on its side, with the European Union being the third party responsible for ensuring that the Palestinian Authority complies with all relevant rules and regulations outlined in the agreement.

Mustafa stressed that the Palestinian Authority, since its establishment, has been responsible for providing services to the residents of the enclave.

Meanwhile, Kaag said that efforts are being made to increase the entry of relief aid into the strip from all crossings, with a focus on the quality of aid and its distribution to all areas of the Gaza Strip.

The crossing, a main gateway for transporting the sick and injured outside Gaza for treatment and delivering humanitarian and relief assistance to the enclave, has been closed since Israel seized control of the Gazan side on May 7.

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