GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian groups on Wednesday strongly rejected any foreign party controlling the Rafah border crossing, a day after the Israeli army occupied it.

In a statement, the Follow-up Committee for National and Islamic Forces, which includes the majority of Palestinian groups, said regardless of the accuracy of the reports on plans by Israel to hand Rafah crossing to a foreign security firm, the Palestinian groups reject any form of foreign control on the Rafah crossing.

It added that it will consider that as "a form of occupation, and any plans in such direction will be treated in the same manner as we treat the (Israeli) occupation."

The Palestinian groups urged the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Egypt in particular "to reject any plans and attempts that contradict the Palestinian Egyptian sovereignty on the Rafah crossing."

Israeli media, including the daily Haaretz, on Tuesday revealed that Israel plans to transfer the control of the crossing to a private American security firm.

The Israeli army on Tuesday started its invasion into the eastern area of Rafah under which the Israeli army stormed and occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, closing Gazan Palestinians' only gateway with the world.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar