Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports on Wednesday that he allowed the Palestinian Authority to run the Rafah border crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt. The border crossing is slated to open next week on day seven of a ceasefire agreement that halted Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel said it will maintain control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas. A statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday denied reports that the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would control the crossing.