Scoop: U.S. lawmakers press Egypt on Gaza safe zones

• The antagonism between Egypt and Israel has made it more difficult to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Driving the news: The letter to Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. Motaz Zahran, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, calls for Egypt to "urgently work" with the U.S., Israel and other countries to "establish and maintain safe zones in southern Gaza."

• The safe zones, they wrote, should include "humanitarian access corridors, for civilians seeking refuge from the fighting in the north of the Strip."
• "Egypt is a major global player and a consistent security partner to the United States. We urge Egypt to recognize its humanitarian responsibility to protect innocent life."

The backdrop: Egyptian President Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday accused Israel of conducting "collective punishment" against Palestinian civilians, rather than acting in self defense.

• Israel's call for Palestinians to leave Gaza City and move south alarmed Egypt, who viewed it as an attempt to push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into Egypt.
• The Egyptians have also refused to allow foreign nationals, including Americans, to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing until Israel agrees to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

• Gaza is about the size of Detroit, and has been without power last week after Israel cut off electricity and the enclave's power plant ran out of fuel.

What we're hearing: The letter is being led by Reps. Blake Moore (R-Utah), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and circulated to lawmakers for signatures, according to a source familiar with the matter and an email to congressional offices obtained by Axios.

• The letter said that Israel's operations are "designed to avoid civilian casualties" and expressed concern for "innocent civilian lives Hamas is intentionally putting in harm's way," saying the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is "driven by Hamas's brutality."