What is the Rafah border crossing in Gaza and why is it blocked?

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, with some taking cars and suitcases south towards the Rafah crossing but others heading back north after failing to find refuge.

What is the Rafah crossing?

On the other side, in the north, Erez is the tightly controlled entry point to Israel.

Gaza’s main border crossings.

Both Erez and Kerem Shalom were closed until further notice by Israel following the 7 October attacks.

Who controls the Rafah crossing?

Egypt controls the Rafah crossing and people wanting to leave Gaza need an exit permit from either Palestinian or Egyptian authorities, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

What is happening at the crossing?

With the United Nations warning Gaza is on the brink of an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”, there’s been a rush to deliver aid to its two million residents under siege.

The Rafah border crossing is controlled by Egypt. Source: EPA / /

Hundreds of tonnes of aid, from ready-to-eat food to latex gloves for emergency surgeries, were waiting on trucks in the nearby Egyptian town of Arish for clearance to enter.

Added to that, there have been reports that Israeli air strikes have hit the area surrounding the crossing. The Israel Defence Forces confirmed last week it hit an underground tunnel in the Rafah area which it said was used for “smuggling weapons and equipment”.

Why isn’t the Rafah crossing open?

Officials in Cairo claimed that Israel was not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza.

“Until now the Israeli government has not taken a position on opening the Rafah crossing from the Gaza side to allow the entrance of assistance and exit of citizens of third countries,” Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said.

Palestinians have been waiting to cross the Rafah border crossing following Israel’s evacuation warning for northern residents of Gaza. Source: AP / /

The Australian government on Monday told citizens to move to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, in case a humanitarian window opens, but there is no guarantee this will eventuate or how long it might remain open.

Why don’t some people want to leave Gaza?

Some 700,000 Palestinians, half the Arab population of what was British-ruled Palestine, were dispossessed and displaced, many spilling into neighbouring Arab states where they or many of their descendants remain. Many still live in refugee camps.

Two men show a Palestinian flag in front of trucks of a humanitarian aid convoy for the Gaza Strip, parked in Arish, Egypt, on Monday. Source: EPA / /

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Israel has massed forces outside Gaza in preparation for what the army has said would be a land, air and sea attack involving a “significant ground operation” in response to Hamas attacks.