Israel-Hamas war: What is the Rafah crossing?

Palestinians are gathering at the Rafah crossing amid the war between Israel and Hamas. But what is the crossing and where is it located?

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What is the Rafah crossing?

The Rafah crossing is one of the points in Gaza where people can leave. It is one of three border crossings: Rafah, Erez and Kerem Shalom.

Erez, like Rafah, allows people to come from and go into the Gaza Strip, while Kerem Shalom is a place where commercial goods can enter and exit. Erez and Kerem Shalom are both closed, BBC News reported.

Where is the Rafah crossing?

The Rafah crossing is the southern exit from the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt on the Sinai peninsula.

The Erez crossing is in northern Gaza.

The Kerem Shalom crossing is in southern Gaza.

Why are the crossings closed?

Hamas fighters attacked the Erez crossing on Oct. 7.

Erez and Kerem Shalom are closed for entry and exit.

That leaves Rafah the only crossing where people and goods can get into or out of the Gaza Strip.

Americans in Gaza were being told to get to Rafah because there might be a short window for people to use the crossing to leave he Gaza Strip as leaders from several countries — including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken — work with Israel, Egypt and “other leading political voices in the region” to reopen Rafah, BBC News reported.

Crowds started to gather there on Monday after it was announced that the crossing would be temporarily reopened, but Israel and Hamas denied the reports.

“There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told Reuters in a statement.

Reuters reported that the crossing is not officially closed, citing Egyptian officials, but the Palestinian side is inoperable because of Israeli airstrikes. CNN reported that humanitarian supplies have been piling up on the Egyptian side.

Sky News noted that Rafah is not consistently open, even when there is no fighting. It can close suddenly and it may not reopen on a schedule. A journalist for Sky News said, “If you are stuck outside Gaza when Rafah closes, there is no chance to get back in again.”

There are times when there are thousands of people waiting for hours to cross, not knowing if they will be allowed to make the trip.

“Women would sit for hours on suitcases, children playing in the dirt, a cacophony of taxis, cars and donkey carts all jostling for space,” Nicole Johnston, who had been based in Gaza, wrote for Sky News.

Who controls Rafah?

Rafah is controlled by both Hamas and Egypt, but since Israel began airstrikes against Gaza following the Hamas attack on the country on Oct. 7, Egyptian media said the crossing had been closed. The Egyptian government had asked Israel to stop airstrikes near the border on Oct. 12 to allow a “support lifeline” for people in Gaza, BBC News reported.

Rafah is the only crossing not controlled by Israel, according to Sky News. Israel controls Erez and Kerem Shalom.

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Rafah crossing Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Monday, Oct.16, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) (Fatima Shbair/AP)