Find out where Rafah is, the only entry point from Gaza to Egypt
It has been 10 days since just a few kilometers separated dozens of humanitarian aid trucks from the thousands of Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip in need of food, water and medicine.
More than 100 trucks dispatched by several countries and charities carrying thousands of tons of aid await the opening of the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza, as negotiations take place between Israeli, American and Egyptian authorities.
The negotiations culminated in an agreement between Egypt and Israel that will allow the first 20 trucks to pass through Rafah this Friday (20).
After the terrorist group Hamas’s massive attack on Israel on the 7th, which killed hundreds of people, the country imposed a total blockade of Palestinian territory, cutting off access to water, food, fuel and electricity. Since then, the situation for the more than 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza has rapidly deteriorated.
“International humanitarian law is very clear: you cannot starve an entire population. “You cannot use aid, food or water as an instrument of war for political or military purposes,” Marwan Jilani, director general of the Red Crescent Organization for Palestine (as the Red Cross is known in Islamic countries), told Al Jazeera.
For the United Nations (UN), the scenario is catastrophic: there has been no electricity since 9/11, food insecurity is only increasing and the health system is on the verge of collapse.
UN agencies have already warned that there is less than a week’s worth of food left in the territory and that Gaza’s water desalination plant has been shut down, raising the risk of further deaths from water shortages, dehydration and illness from consuming contaminated water.
Protests broke out in several parts of the Middle East following the explosion of a hospital in Gaza City, north of the Palestinian territory, and continued bombings by Israel. Internationally, there remains great concern that the war could escalate and develop into a larger regional conflict.
Also on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said Egypt had agreed to open the border at Rafah to the first passage of 20 trucks. It is expected that trucks will be able to enter from this Friday (20).
The Egyptian state broadcaster reported this Thursday (19) that the passage would open on Friday (20). Opening hours were not specified.
Below, understand the obstacles practical and political that have hindered urgent humanitarian access:
What is the Rafah Pass?
The checkpoints, known as the Rafah border crossing, are the only place where crossing from Egypt to the Gaza Strip or vice versa is possible. They are located along the almost 13 kilometer long fence that separates the Palestinian territory from the Sinai Peninsula.
The total blockade in response to the Hamas attack made the situation worse. More than a million Palestinians have left their homes in northern Palestinian territory due to Israeli evacuation orders.
Humanitarian aid is increasing
1 of 1 Humanitarian Aid — Photo: g1 Humanitarian Aid — Photo: g1
On the Egyptian side, there is a huge queue of more than 100 trucks waiting to take them to Gaza 3,000 tons of supplies.
“We have enough aid to last a long time,” an official from a humanitarian organization in Rafah told DW. “We have groceries, dairy products, vegetables, medicines.”
There is even more help at El Arish Airport on Egypt’s northeast coast, near the border crossing. According to the New York Times, the European Union (EU) chartered a cargo plane that arrived at the airport on Tuesday. Another EUfunded humanitarian aid plane was scheduled for this Thursday (19).
Israeli concerns about Hamas
Also according to the New York Times, Israel insists that all trucks be checked to ensure that the cargo is only humanitarian aid. The country also wants to prevent deliveries from reaching Hamas.
On Wednesday (18), Israel said in a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office that the country would not prevent the importation of supplies via Egypt, following Biden’s request.
“Israel will not allow humanitarian aid from its territory into the Gaza Strip until our hostages return,” the statement said, referring to the nearly 200 people held captive by Hamas.
Egypt is under pressure from the United States and other countries, including Brazil, to open the border to the entry of humanitarian aid and the exit of foreigners from the Gaza Strip. The country, in turn, is also putting pressure on Israel to allow the delivery of aid, but fears that Israeli bombings could hit aid convoys.
According to the New York Times, U.S. and European Union officials said Egyptian authorities did not allow their diplomats access to the area around the Rafah border crossing, even to inspect aid sent by governments. The newspaper said the lack of access reflects Egypt’s desire to maintain control of the region, where the country has been fighting militants for years.
Egyptian authorities have also expressed concern in recent days about a possible influx of Palestinian refugees.
“What is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to seek refuge and emigrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted,” said the country’s President Abdel Fattah alSisi, Wednesday (18).
“Egypt rejects any attempt to resolve the Palestinian issue by military means or through the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their lands, which would come at the expense of countries in the region,” he said.
According to the United Nations, Egypt, which is in economic crisis and has a population of around 110 million, is already home to around 9 million refugees and migrants, including nearly 300,000 people who came from Sudan this year to escape the war in the country to flee the country.
American veto of Brazilian resolution in the UN Security Council
The Security Council’s acting president, Brazil, had drafted a resolution that would constitute the body’s first formal statement on the conflict. Twelve countries voted in favor of the text, Russia and the United Kingdom abstained and only the United States voted against.
Since the United States is one of the five countries with a permanent seat on the Council and thus a right of veto, the text was rejected in its entirety. There is no deadline for creating a new version.
After the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda ThomasGreenfield argued that her country was “disappointed” that the text did not mention Israel’s right to selfdefense.
Continuous shelling and destroyed roads
Egyptian authorities say the Rafah border crossing has become almost inoperable due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
The roads near the intersection are full of holes caused by the bombings and need to be repaired to allow trucks to pass.
According to CNN in the USA, US President Joe Biden stated that the repairs could take around eight hours so that the first aid deliveries could be made this Friday (20).
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, at least 30 people were killed by shelling in several areas of the city of Rafah this Thursday (19), an indication of the difficulties and dangers of delivering aid to the region.
Also this Thursday (19), a bomb attack occurred in the town of Khan Younis, less than 10 km from Rafah. UN employees were among the injured.
Days ago, Israel told Palestinians they must leave the northern Gaza Strip, prompting hundreds of thousands of people to move to the south, which Israel described as a “safe zone” for civilians, according to the Associated Press.
Brazilian Hasan Rabee, one of the thousands of people waiting in Khan Younis for the border with Egypt to open, said there was “no safe place” in Palestinian territory.