Israel’s Control of Rafah Crossing Stalls Aid to Gaza, Sparks Uncertainty
The Israeli flag has been waving over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing for a fortnight, but the future of this critical aid terminal has swiftly become a headache for Israel. Egypt has declined to reopen its side of the crossing as long as Israeli forces occupy the Palestinian side, effectively shutting down one of the few entry points through which much-needed aid reaches Gaza.
This impasse has exacerbated the severe humanitarian crisis affecting the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory, with repeated warnings of impending famine after more than seven months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Rafah crossing, situated on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, was symbolic of Hamas’s authority over the area after the Iranian-backed militant group took power in 2007. However, on May 7, the Israeli army swiftly seized control of the crossing, alleging that it was being utilized for “terrorist” purposes. Since then, it has been closed, significantly reducing the flow of aid into Gaza.
Before the Israeli incursion, Hamas, designated a “terrorist” group by Israel, the United States, and the European Union, had been collecting taxes on goods passing through the crossing. Israel and others also suspect the Rafah crossing had been used to bring weapons into the Gaza Strip, particularly since Israel imposed a blockade on the territory when Hamas took power there.
Since the start of the war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, most aid deliveries into Gaza have passed through Rafah, long a strategic crossing point for the Palestinian territory and the only one not controlled by Israel.
In the weeks before the Israeli army took over, about 100 aid trucks had entered daily via Rafah, according to UN figures, as well as most of the crucial fuel supply.
As early as a day after the Israeli seizure, media reports said the government was exploring its options. The left-wing daily Haaretz said Israel had begun negotiations with Egypt and the United States to hand over management of the crossing to a private US company.
Some analysts have expressed skepticism about these plans, citing likely opposition by armed Palestinian groups that would render operations risky or impossible. Hamas militants have already claimed several rocket attacks targeting Israeli troops deployed at the terminal.
Egypt has refused to coordinate with Israel on the Rafah crossing, and on Wednesday media reports said Cairo had rejected an Israeli proposal to reopen the crossing. Israeli and Palestinian media have also reported another Israeli proposal, this time to the Palestinian Authority (PA), based in the occupied West Bank and controlled by Hamas rival Fatah, the party of president Mahmud Abbas.
The proposal, according to the reports, would formally give the PA control of the crossing but operations would be handled by a group deemed neutral such as the Red Crescent Society. The PA refused, insisting it would only assume control of the crossing if it is given full authority in running it.
Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and until the Hamas takeover in 2007, the Rafah crossing was under the PA’s control. An agreement largely steered by Washington had put PA agents in charge but guaranteed Israel the right of supervision. European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) gendarmes were also present at the crossing under the 2005 agreement.
EUBAM has been approached recently, a European official in Jerusalem told AFP on condition of anonymity. But the source said the Europeans had made it clear they would refuse to take part in operating the crossing unless the PA was involved.
A Tel Aviv-based EU diplomat, also requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, told AFP the embassy had been asked about the Rafah crossing.
“I don’t think it’s likely that we’ll be directly involved,” the diplomat said, stressing the complexity of setting up a European mission in the terminal and the “humanitarian emergency” that his government considers Israel’s responsibility.
With regional and Western governments unwilling to take charge for now, the United Nations remains a potential partner. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has never managed the Rafah crossing but has played a central role in managing the aid that passes through it.
However, Israel’s long-strained ties with UNRWA and other UN bodies have further soured during the war, and the government is unlikely to want to entrust the agency with the keys to crossing. UNRWA has been the target of a barrage of Israeli criticism since the war began, with top Israeli leaders and ministers accusing it of collusion with Hamas though offering little evidence. The UN agency has strongly denied the Israeli claims.
