According to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israel was originally scheduled to reopen the Rafah port in the south of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt, on 15th of this month.
On October 18 local time, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the Rafah port would not be open until further notice.
Reopening of the Rafah port is difficult.
On October 16, local time, a forklift carried humanitarian supplies in the aid warehouse in Alish, Egypt.
Located at the southern end of the Gaza Strip and connecting the Egyptian border, Lafa Strait is the main gateway for international humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza. Due to the delay in opening, large amounts of aid are gathered on the Egyptian side of Lafa Strait, waiting to enter Gaza.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt announced that after communicating with the relevant Egyptian authorities, Rafah Border Crossing will reopen on 20thto allow citizens living in Egypt and wishing to return to the Gaza Strip to travel in accordance with established coordination mechanisms.
However, later that day, in the Prime Minister’s office said that Prime Minister Netanyahu had given instructions, Rafah Port will not be open until further notice。The opening of the crossing will be considered based on the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)'s compliance with its obligations to return the remains of detainees and the implementation of the framework agreed upon by both parties.
△ On October 15, local time, trucks loaded with humanitarian aid waited in Rafah Border Crossing to cross into the Gaza Strip.
Previously, the dates for the reopening of the Rafah port have been changed repeatedly:
- The Israeli government approved the ceasefire agreement on the Gaza Strip in the early morning of October 10. an Israeli military spokesman said that the first phase of the ceasefire agreement has entered into force at noon, 10pm local time. Opened。
- The Israeli government on Thursday ruled that Hamas failed to hand over the remains of all the detainees in time. Suspension of reopeningThe port of Rafah.
- On the 15th, the Israeli public broadcasting company once reported that in view of the fact that Hamas handed over the remains of some detainees to Israel on the night of 14th, and planned to hand over more remains, Israel decided to do so on the same day as originally planned ReopeningThe port of Rafah.
- Later on the 15th, the Israeli Times also quoted Israeli security officials as saying that the 15th of the day was on Rafah. Will not be open。
- Israeli Foreign Minister Sal said at a meeting in Italy on Friday that Rafah There is a high probability that it will reopen on the 19th local timeProvision of personnel.
Deliveries to Gaza are far from sufficient
Many call for reopening the Rafah port
A number of international agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, have stated that given the severe famine facing Gaza, the need for cleanup and reconstruction is extremely urgent, and it is necessary to ensure that all ports of entry are open.
It is that a large number of trucks carrying goods are waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, but are still unable to pass through.
Tom Fletcher, UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief CoordinatorAs the highest-ranking UN official who entered the Gaza Strip after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement came into force, Fletcher said at the 18th inspection of the Gaza Strip that compared to what he saw seven to eight months ago, a large area of the Gaza Strip is now devastated and everything is unbearable.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsHe said that due to Israel's delay in opening the Rafah Border Crossing, aid trucks from Egypt can only take a detour to Kerem Shalom border crossing, where they can only enter the Gaza Strip after being inspected by Israel.
The World Food ProgrammeOn the 17th, it said that since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, an average of about 560 tons of food have been shipped into the Gaza Strip every day, but it is far below the actual needs. Moreover, the World Food Program has difficulty accessing the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, for material distribution, and calls on Israel to open Erez and other ports in the northern Gaza Strip bordering Israel.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesmanBagae issued a statement on the 18th, strongly condemning Israel's repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Bagaei also criticized Israeli refusal to fulfill its commitment to reopen Rafah Border Crossing. He called on the international community to take concrete actions to force Israel to stop its crimes, withdraw from Gaza, and provide food and daily necessities to the people of Gaza.
△ On October 18, local time, a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
According to the first phase of Gaza ceasefire agreement, 600 trucks should enter the Gaza Strip every day. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Fletcher said on Friday that thousands of trucks carrying aid goods will enter Gaza each week to ease the famine.
Ismail Savabta, head of the Gazan government’s media office, said recently that aid supplies entered the Gaza Strip since the conflict settled were only “a little more than the actual demand” and that “massive, continuous and organized transportation of aid supplies, fuel, civilian gas and medical supplies is urgently needed.”
A number of aid agencies and U.N. agencies have said they are ready for aid on the Egyptian side and are waiting for the time to be delivered to Gaza.U.N. officials have also warned that aid is currently shipping “far from sufficient” to the Gaza Strip, which is difficult to address the emergency of famine and medical shortages.
"Life Channel" closed
Increased humanitarian situation in Gaza
Before the outbreak of this round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Gaza Strip There are mainly three ports.for the movement of persons and goods, respectively, located in the south of the Gaza Strip Rafah Border Crossing、 Kerem Shalom PortAnd in northern Gaza Erez Port。
Among them, the Kerem Shalom port is mainly used for freight passage, while the Rafah port and the Erez port can also be used for the movement of people. Of these three ports, both the other side of the Kerem Shalom and the Erez port are Israeli and have been strictly restricted by the Israeli side.
The Rafah crossing borders Egypt. Before the outbreak of the conflict, it was the only channel in the Gaza Strip that was not controlled by Israel and connected to the outside world.
After the conflict broke out, most international humanitarian aid supplies had to be assembled in Egypt and entered Gaza through Rafah Border Crossing. Therefore, The port has also become a "life channel" for more than 2 million Gazans。
In early May 2024, the Israeli army controlled the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian side subsequently pointed out that the Israeli army's actions posed a safety threat to aid workers and vehicles, and refused to cooperate with Israel in transporting supplies into the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the port.
After an Israeli ceasefire agreement was reached in January, Rafah Port was reopened, but the port was closed again after the Israeli military issued an "evacuation order" to Rafah in March. Since then, international humanitarian supplies from the Egyptian side had to pass through Kerem Salom Port and accept Israeli inspection before entering Gaza, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to worsen.
Live like a year
Gaza people look forward to opening ports
Local people said that although the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip has come into effect and reconstruction work has been put on the agenda, there are still ports connecting the Gaza Strip that have not been opened, and related equipment is not allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. The closure of the Rafah Border Crossing has also affected the sick and wounded in the Gaza Strip to go overseas for medical treatment. People strongly call on Israel to open the Rafah Border Crossing as soon as possible.
In an interview with local residents, Abraham said that for many patients and the entire Gaza area, the Rafah Gate is the life line. After the gate is opened, some patients can be sent abroad for treatment every day, and patients like his son can be healed and continue to live. Abraham called on Israel to open the Rafah Gate, but he was still waiting and felt like the day of the year.