{"id":120202,"date":"2023-10-20T11:22:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T11:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=120202"},"modified":"2023-10-20T11:22:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T11:22:10","slug":"the-rafah-crossing-gazas-gateway-to-the-world-and-last-hope-for-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/world-news\/the-rafah-crossing-gazas-gateway-to-the-world-and-last-hope-for-palestine\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rafah crossing – Gaza’s ‘gateway to the world’ and last hope for Palestine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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”.<\/p>\n

And for humanitarian groups piled up at the border, it\u2019s the sole access route to reach desperate Palestinians as it\u2019s the only border that\u2019s not directly controlled by Israel. The main crossings through Israel are either closed or have been damaged by Hamas.<\/p>\n

Joe Biden yesterday said Egypt\u2019s president had agreed to open the crossing to let in some humanitarian aid as early as Friday (October 20).<\/p>\n

However, this vital corridor is still closed as it has been for most of the time since Hamas took control in 2007.<\/p>\n

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”.<\/p>\n

READ MORE <\/strong> White House slammed after posting photo doxxing US special forces in Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

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They told CNN: “I would not put money on those trucks going through.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The World Food Programme, for example, is stockpiling 310 metric tonnes of food at the Gaza border.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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