Negotiations for a hostage ceasefire between Israel and Hamas became even more difficult this week. On Sunday (5), Hamas launched rockets at the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza, and killed four Israeli soldiers.
Israel closed the crossing, responded with more bombings and began what it says is limited action in Rafah, the last major urban center in the Strip not yet invaded by land.
Then, Israeli tanks took the Rafah crossing, the other checkpoint in the south, besides Kerem Shalom, for aid entry and the only one that was not directly controlled by Israel — although Tel Aviv had the prerogative, as did Egypt. , to block entrances and exits.
Read below questions and answers about Rafah and Israel’s military action there.
What is Rafah Passage?
The site is the only checkpoint in the Gaza Strip that is not directly controlled by Israel, as it is on the border with Egypt. Traffic there, however, is subject to authorization from Cairo and Tel Aviv.
Are there other crossings open at the Gaza borders?
The Kerem Shalom crossing, close to Rafah on the triple border between Israel, Egypt and Gaza, has also been used since December for the entry of humanitarian aid. There is also the Erez crossing, on the border north of Gaza, which Israel reopened at the beginning of May, amid external pressure to expand the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.
How important is the Rafah crossing for transporting humanitarian aid?
The Rafah border post was the first aid entry point into Gaza, two weeks after the start of the war. According to data from the UN’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (Ocha), 2,820 trucks with humanitarian aid, from food to hygiene items and medicine, entered via Rafah in December alone — this number was the monthly peak at this checkpoint.
The Kerem Shalom crossing, opened in December, gradually became the largest entry point: in April, for example, 4,395 trucks arrived through this checkpoint into Gaza, compared to 1,276 via Rafah.
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How long has Israel said it will invade Rafah and why has it acted now?
At least since February, Netanyahu’s government has targeted the city as the last frontier of fighting inside Gaza. The action is one of the biggest points of contention in negotiations for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages — Hamas has conditioned the deal on the guarantee that Israel will not enter the city and leave Gaza. But the talks have not progressed.
Furthermore, internal pressure is only increasing against Netanyahu to speed up the release of the hostages still with Hamas: the estimate is that 129 are still under weapons from the terrorist group, of which 35 have already died.
How had Israel been attacking Rafah?
The city has been the target of bombings since the beginning of the conflict (including the border post). Compared to centers like Khan Yunis and Gaza City, there is still some infrastructure standing, but there are frequent airstrikes and overcrowding.
It was to Rafah that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled amid Israel’s ground offensive in the north of the territory, and it was there that the Tel Aviv Army demanded that the displaced move — despite continuing with the bombings.
What do critics say about possible military action in the city?
Even Israel’s close allies criticize a broad offensive against the city. At stake is the potential for one of the region’s biggest catastrophes.
American President Joe Biden was clear: he blocked the sending of new bombs to Israel saying that they were being used to kill civilians and that Washington would not support Tel Aviv in the invasion of Rafah — and Israel reacted. Several UN agencies and Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as European Union leaders, have condemned the possible invasion.
Is there an alternative for the population in Rafah?
There is no safe alternative for around 1.5 million people who cannot leave Gaza. Israel designated an area a little further north, close to Khan Yunis and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, for civilians to move to — many of whom went to Rafah precisely fleeing from places further north. This Thursday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees estimated that more than 80,000 Palestinians have left Rafah since the beginning of the most recent Israeli action.
What is the status of the negotiations for a truce agreement in exchange for hostages?
Hamas indicated on Wednesday (8) that it insists on the proposal made, which it says it accepted on Monday (6) — Israel denied the deal, and stated that the terrorist group accepted a pact with new elements that did not meet its demands.
