The end? Closed border; Their fate is sealed

The end? Closed border; Their fate is sealed

We are talking about the Rafah crossing, which was closed at the beginning of the week due to Israeli bombing. Now the question of whether and when it will be opened depends solely on Egypt, which decided to close it, at least as announced on social networks.

Namely, Egypt does not want a mass exodus of Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula.

Hamas says that due to the impassibility of the Rafah crossing, the Gaza Strip has remained "sealed".

The Egyptians who managed the crossing warned their colleagues from the Palestinian side to evacuate immediately due to the threat of airstrikes, the spokesman of the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security, Iyad Al Bazm, said on Tuesday, as quoted by Euronews Serbia, AP agency.

However, the Israel Defense Forces said they had hit an underground tunnel for smuggling arms and equipment in the Rafah area, but did not confirm or deny that the crossing itself had been hit. Although senior IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht advised Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to flee to Egypt earlier, the army issued a clarification soon after.

"For the past few days, the Israeli army has been instructing the population inside the Gaza Strip to distance themselves from certain areas. We emphasize that Israel does not invite the residents of Gaza to cross into Egypt," the IDF statement said in English. Hamas says that due to the impassability of the crossing Rafah the Gaza Strip remained "sealed".

Border could be crossed only with a permit, which no one can issue

In addition, Egyptian officials also warned on Monday that civilians in Gaza "should not be pushed" towards the Egyptian borders and condemned Israel's call for mass displacement, Egyptian media reports.

On Monday, about 800 people left Gaza through the Rafah crossing, and about 500 people entered back into the enclave, although the crossing was closed due to the movement of goods, the UN humanitarian office said.

The Rafah border crossing was briefly open on Tuesday morning, with Egypt allowing only those Palestinians who had already received permission to leave the Gaza Strip. To enter Egypt from Gaza, Palestinians must go to their interior ministry at least two days in advance to register. Therefore, anyone who does not have this authorization cannot cross the border, according to the official Facebook post of the border crossing.

However, as all government buildings in Gaza, including the interior ministry, are currently closed or destroyed, no one can be added to the list, the BBC reports. Residents of the Gaza Strip also complained about this procedure on the crossing's Facebook page, and one of them sent his comment to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior.

"This is not the time to endanger someone who survived the bombing and miraculously reached the crossing. We cannot go back to death," the unnamed Palestinian wrote.

The possibility of establishing a corridor

Meanwhile, the UN and other humanitarian agencies discussed with Egypt about sending humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing, Egyptian media reports.

At the same time, the US is talking with Israel and Egypt about establishing a corridor for the evacuation of civilians from the Gaza Strip, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced yesterday.

"We are focused on this issue, consultations are ongoing. It is being discussed in more detail among the operational agencies and I don't want to make it too public at this time," Sullivan told reporters at the White House, according to Reuters.