VIDEO: Israeli tanks close the Rafah crossing and take control of the Palestinian side of the crossing into Egypt | World

Israel crosses Rafah and raises flag at border post with Egypt

Israel stated this Tuesday (7) that it took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, in the Palestinian city of Rafah, which borders Egypt in the south of Gaza. According to Reuters, Israeli tanks blocked the passage.

The Israeli Army also closed the Kerem Shalom crossing, in southern Gaza, which is on the triple border between Gaza, Israel and Egypt.

Sources linked to humanitarian aid told Reuters that the flow of humanitarian aid, which reached the territory exclusively via Egypt, has been interrupted.

The place is considered the last refuge for more than 1 million Palestinians from all regions of the Gaza Strip who had to abandon their homes and migrate south due to the war — the Israeli military campaign began attacks in the north of the territory and continued south.

Israel claims that Rafah, on the southern tip of Gaza, is Hamas’ last stronghold and therefore the last battlefront to complete its war against the terrorist group.

Since the start of the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, on October 7, 2023, the city has served as Gaza’s main point of communication with the rest of the world.

Rafah has served as the entry point for most humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, and was an exit point for foreigners who were in Gaza and received authorization to leave the territory — as well as hostages released by Hamas during the November ceasefire 2023.

As the war progressed, Rafah began to receive many refugees and saw its population explode from around 280,000 people to 1.5 million, who were temporarily housed in tents.

Through a statement on social media, Israel asked residents to leave the eastern region of Rafah and head to Al-Mawasi, a neighboring city, also in the Gaza Strip, where Israel said it had created a humanitarian zone with emergency hospitals. campaign, tents, food and water.

The local government, controlled by Hamas, stated that Israeli troops carried out the first bombings on the city, in the eastern part, this Monday.

For weeks, the Israeli Armed Forces have been preparing to enter Rafah, where Israel claims that Hamas has its last stronghold within the Gaza Strip. However, the city, on the border with Egypt, is also the last refuge for Palestinians who fled their cities in the north, center and even south of the country during the war.

Currently, around 1.5 million Palestinians, more than half of the total population of the Gaza Strip, are in the city.

According to Reuters, an Israeli official stated that the terms of the proposal were softened by Egypt and that Tel Aviv cannot accept it. He said Hamas apparently accepted the ceasefire so that the Israelis would be seen as the party refusing to reach an agreement.

The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson stated that the country is still studying how it will respond to the proposal, but that for now they will continue operating in the Gaza Strip.

There was celebration by Palestinians in Rafah after the news of a possible ceasefire. But Israel’s war cabinet did not back down from its plans to bomb the city, displace its population and carry out a land incursion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Egypt and Qatar’s proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands” but that it would still send negotiators to Cairo to continue talks on a ceasefire agreement.