Rafah crossing at Egypt-Gaza border opens, much-needed aid flows into besieged territory

Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes in Gaza, but they have not stopped ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks into Israel. The reopening of the border followed over a week of intensive diplomatic efforts involving various mediators, including visits to the region by US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Israel had maintained its position that aid would only be allowed into Gaza once around 200 individuals captured by Hamas were released. Additionally, the Palestinian side of the crossing had been temporarily closed due to Israeli airstrikes. While more than 200 trucks loaded with approximately 3,000 tons of aid had been waiting near the crossing for several days, Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera news, which has close ties to security agencies, reported that only 20 trucks entered Gaza on Saturday. There were also hundreds of foreign passport holders waiting to cross from Gaza to Egypt to escape the conflict.

The Hamas-led government in Gaza expressed that this limited aid convoy would not be sufficient to alleviate the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and they called for a secure corridor to operate around the clock.

Notably, the border crossing was reopened shortly after Hamas released an American woman and her teenage daughter, the first captives to be freed following the militant group’s incursion into Israel on October 7. It wasn’t immediately clear if there was a direct connection between the release and the reopening of the border.

Why is the Rafah border crossing so important?

Following the deadly attack by Hamas , Israel imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip and as a result, the Gaza Strip’s border crossing with Egypt, located near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, gained increased significance. It is the only point not controlled by Israel where civilians can enter and leave Gaza by land, the New York Times reported.

Egypt had kept this crossing sealed since October 10, as diplomatic negotiations regarding the passage of people and supplies had been slow. The urgency to open the crossing had grown as living conditions in the strip have rapidly deteriorated due to intense Israeli airstrikes, some of which have also affected the crossing.

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