8-5-2024 (GAZA) Israeli forces have seized control of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on May 7. This move comes as international mediators struggle to find common ground for a ceasefire agreement between the two adversaries.
Tanks and armored vehicles pushed into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, signaling a potential wider offensive in the area. Hamas, the Islamist group that governs Gaza, has accused Israel of attempting to undermine the truce talks taking place in Cairo by mounting this offensive.
International aid agencies have sounded the alarm, stating that the closure of the two main crossings into southern Gaza – Rafah and Kerem Shalom – has virtually cut off the Palestinian enclave from outside aid, with very few supplies available inside.
Israeli Army Radio announced that its forces had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the morning of May 7, with footage showing tanks rolling through the complex and the Israeli flag being raised on the Gaza side.
Despite international appeals for Israel to hold off an assault on Rafah, Israeli tanks and planes launched attacks on several areas and houses in the city overnight.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported on May 7 that the Israeli strikes across the enclave had claimed the lives of 54 Palestinians and injured 96 others. The aftermath of the strikes saw desperate scenes, with people searching for bodies amid the rubble of wrecked buildings.
One resident, Raed al-Derby, shared his anguish, saying that his wife and children had been killed in the attacks. Standing amidst the devastation, he told Reuters, “We’re patient, and we will remain steadfast on this land… We are waiting for liberation, and this battle will be for liberation, God willing.”
More than one million people have sought refuge in Rafah, living in tented camps and makeshift shelters. Many are trying to leave, heeding Israeli orders to evacuate, but with large areas of the coastal enclave already laid to waste, they say they have nowhere safe to go.
The Israeli military has stated that the limited operation in Rafah is aimed at killing fighters and dismantling infrastructure used by Hamas. However, Hamas claims that Israel’s incursion is designed to undermine the ceasefire efforts.
Egypt, acting as a mediator, has also stated that the Rafah operation threatens the already fragile ceasefire efforts, while the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, warned that a wider assault on Rafah would cause many civilian casualties.
Israel has long threatened to mount a major incursion in Rafah, which it claims harbors thousands of Hamas fighters and where potentially dozens of hostages are being held. According to Israeli authorities, victory over Hamas is impossible without taking control of Rafah.
The Gaza Health Ministry has reported that a total of 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have now been killed in the conflict.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting approximately 250 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
