The Rafah border crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt is viewed by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the Hamas-Israel war as a precious “gateway to the rest of the world”.
And for humanitarian groups piled up at the border, it’s the sole access route to reach desperate Palestinians as it’s the only border that’s not directly controlled by Israel. The main crossings through Israel are either closed or have been damaged by Hamas.
Joe Biden yesterday said Egypt’s president had agreed to open the crossing to let in some humanitarian aid as early as Friday (October 20).
However, this vital corridor is still closed as it has been for most of the time since Hamas took control in 2007.
One source familiar with discussions between Israel, Egypt and other countries doubts the crossing will open today and said it was a “really volatile situation”.
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They told CNN: “I would not put money on those trucks going through.”
Over the years, the crossing has remained tightly closed, only opening sporadically for humanitarian reasons, such as medical evacuations or for foreign passport-holders. Egypt has also built a stone and cement wall along the border to prevent any breaches by Gazans.
More than 200 trucks and 3,000 tons of aid are now sitting outside or near the border, ready and waiting to deploy tonnes of aid, according to the head of the Red Crescent for North Sinai, Khalid Zayed.
The World Food Programme, for example, is stockpiling 310 metric tonnes of food at the Gaza border.
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Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Palestine Country Director said: “WFP has tons of food coming in from planes and trucks around the region, piled up and ready for the green light to enter Gaza from any possible entry point.
“We need access into Gaza and we need to be able to reach the people inside wherever they are.”
Officials reportedly expect that the first convoy of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid will cross the border this weekend.
Since the crisis started, Egypt has had security concerns over opening the border.
It stepped up its military presence at the border last week with fears that Israel will try to push thousands of refugees from southern Gaza into Egypt.
Some in Israel have pressed for Egypt to take in refugees temporarily.
Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the US said: “There is a huge expanse, almost endless space in the Sinai desert just on the other side of Gaza.”
However, Egypt said it won’t allow its territory to be flooded with refugees and insists it is used to allow aid to be delivered to Gaza.
It also said it needs to repair the roads across the border after they were hit by Israeli airstrikes, and that it requires guarantees for the safety of its staff before opening the passage.
It has asked Israel to stop its nearby airstrikes so it can use the crossing as a “support lifeline”.
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