Here’s a quick recap of the significance of the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza.

Israel decided to close it on Tuesday and has since refused to open it. It now seems to be set to reopen on Monday, though Israel’s foreign minister previously suggested this could happen tomorrow – see the post just below this one for more on that.

Why is the crossing so important?

It was previously the territory’s only gateway to the rest of the world that’s not directly controlled by Israel. 

There are currently only three (hypothetically) functional crossings into Gaza – indicated on the map below – and the remaining two are under Israeli control.

Rafah accordingly serves as a major access point for humanitarian aid and ill and injured people seeking treatment abroad.

Who controls the crossing?

Egypt controls its side of the crossing as part of an agreement with the Israelis and the EU in 2005.

The Gaza side has long been controlled by Hamas since it took control of the territory in 2007.

However, Israel launched a major assault on the city of Rafah in May 2024 as part of its military operations in Gaza and seized control of the crossing.

Israel was ordered to stop its offensive by the International Court of Justice due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation there.

How has this affected the crossing’s use?

Even before the Hamas attacks on October 7 in 2023, it never operated as a normal, fully open border crossing.

Over the years it has been closed for days, weeks and months at a time. When it does open, it’s often intermittent and can suddenly close again.

The people of Gaza never know when it will open or for how long, making it impossible for them to plan around using it.

Since Israel has taken control of the crossing, Egypt has refused to coordinate with the country in managing access. 

Humanitarian access continues intermittently via limited Israeli-approved channels.

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt suggested earlier that the crossing would open for people on Monday. It remains open when aid will be allowed to cross as well.