Rafah crossing may again be open, but major limits on movement, delays hamper relief |
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — When the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt finally reopened this week, Palestinian officials heralded it as a “window of hope,” but that hope has been sidetracked by disagreements over who should be allowed through, hours-long delays and Palestinian travelers’ reports of being handcuffed and interrogated by Israeli soldiers.
Far fewer people than expected have crossed in both directions. Restrictions negotiated by Israeli, Egyptian, Palestinian and international officials meant that only 50 people would be allowed to return to Gaza each day and 50 medical patients — along with two companions for each — would be allowed to leave.
But over the first four days of operations, just 36 Palestinians requiring medical care were allowed to leave for Egypt, plus 62 companions, according to United Nations data. Palestinian officials say nearly 20,000 people in Gaza are seeking to leave for medical care that they say is not available in the war-shattered territory.
Amid confusion around the reopening, the Rafah crossing was closed Friday and Saturday. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) regarding the weekend closure of the crossing.
The Rafah crossing is a lifeline for Gaza, providing the only link to the outside world not controlled by Israel. Israel captured it in May 2024, during the war against Hamas sparked by the Gaza-ruling terror group’s invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2003, though traffic through the crossing was heavily restricted even before that.
Several women who managed to return to Gaza after its reopening recounted to The Associated Press alleged harsh treatment by Israeli authorities and members of the Popular Forces — a Palestinian militia founded by an anti-Hamas armed Bedouin leader, Yasser Abu Shabab,........