UK is working to rescue its citizens as 'scared and desperate' people begin looting food

“Officials said that Israel and Egypt were prepared to let foreigners leave the Strip which is under heavy Israeli bombardment, but Hamas had refused.”

    • afunkysongaday@lemmy.world
      146·
      1 year ago

      The Rafah Border Crossing is the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It lies on the international border that was confirmed by the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty and the 1982 Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula. The Rafah Border Crossing can only be used for the passage of persons. All goods traffic must use the Kerem Shalom border crossing on the Israel-Gaza border.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt–Gaza_border

      The Rafah Land Port became the primary border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, managed by the Israel Airports Authority until Israel had dismantled its settlements in Gaza on 11 September 2005 as part of a disengagement plan. It subsequently became the task of the European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EUBAM) to monitor the crossing.

      In the 2023 Israel–Hamas war that began in October, the crossing was again effectively sealed. The Egyptian government refused to allow either Gazans or foreign nationals to exit Gaza via the Rafah crossing, despite intensive international efforts to secure a window of time for the Rafah crossing to open to foreigners who want to exit the Strip.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafah_Border_Crossing

      The Philadelphi Route, also called Philadelphi Corridor, is a narrow strip of land, 14 km (8.699 miles) in length, situated along the entirety of the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Under the provisions of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty of 1979, it was established as a buffer zone controlled and patrolled by Israeli forces. One purpose of the Philadelphi Route was to prevent the movement of illegal materials (including weapons and ammunition) and people between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphi_Route

      Tl;Dr: Europe, Egypt and Israel all play a part in managing that border. The only party that has zero control over this border is Gaza.

    • electric_nan
      1814·
      1 year ago

      Oh damn, I just looked at a map, and Gaza also borders the ocean. Clearly people and goods can flow freely in/out of Gaza that way also. My mistake.

      • ???@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 year ago

        No. They don’t have access to their sea borders. They get shot if they go out too far.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
        75·
        1 year ago

        But what about the Egyptian side, is Israel in your opinion blocking that too?

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
          42·
          1 year ago

          Israel in your opinion blocking that too?

          https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-bombs-southern-gaza

          Despite urging Palestinians and others caught in Gaza to flee the northern areas, bombings that claimed the lives of yet more civilians—including children—were reported in Khan Younis and the city of Rafah.

          The attacks came hours after the IDF’s Rear Adm Daniel Hagari called on Gaza’s residents to move south “for your own safety.”

          Rafah is directly opposite the Egyptian border.

          https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/egypt-s-hospitals-are-ready-to-treat-injured-gazans-but-the-border-is-closed/ar-AA1jasz8

          While the Egyptian government has made clear that it refuses to accept large numbers of Palestinian refugees from Gaza, fearful of the political and security repercussions, it has ordered hospitals in northern Sinai and elsewhere to prepare to take in wounded patients from the enclave — as they have during past rounds of fighting. As Israel pummels besieged Gaza, Egypt resists opening up to refugees

          “This border is open to take in any injured,” said Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service, at a news conference in front of the Rafah crossing Tuesday. He added that the World Health Organization has inspected “all the hospitals and medical facilities” but that “the occupying forces prevent the crossing from the Palestinian side” — a reference to Israel.

        • electric_nan
          47·
          1 year ago

          No. Egypt is blocking that. Egypt is paid inordinate amounts of money by the US to do so.

            • electric_nan
              73·
              1 year ago

              No it isn’t. Does it have to be? Do you think the Israeli government takes a neutral position on the Rafah border crossing? Israel is the primary prosecutor of this genocide. They are assisted and enabled largely by the US, which also dictates (client state) Egypt’s policies in this regard.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
            55·
            1 year ago

            Egypt stopped allowing Palestinians to cross when refugee members of the Muslim Brotherhood (intimately tied to Hamas, and from which Hamas is an offshoot) co-opted the 2011 protests to seize control of the country.

            Imagine how Egypt would look if their pro-democracy, pro-socialist revolution wasn’t fucked by Hamas the same way Gaza has been.