For weeks, Egyptian officials have debated whether to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza, but the cost of opening the crossing. At the same time, it could help seriously injured Palestinians leave the area and could also bring in a surge of Palestinian refugees.
“We are prepared to sacrifice millions of lives to ensure that no one encroaches upon our territory,” Egypt’s prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, said earlier this week.
The Rafah crossing is the main avenue through which people, goods, and aid cross into Israel. Egypt controls it.
“It doesn’t work the way a normal border does. It is selective, and it can be activated or deactivated. It’s not an invisible border like the ones you find in the Schengen Area or across state lines in the US. You can’t cross freely with your car. It’s not open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Lorenzo Navone, a sociologist specializing in borders and conflicts at the University of Strasbourg.
According to Reuters, thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into the Rafah area to escape Israeli attacks, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The U.N. humanitarian…
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