World
Israel-Hamas war: The Rafah border crossing point that is so crucial in the conflict
Egypt has condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s continued attacks inside Gaza after it hit two refugee camps in its hunt for Hamas commanders and fighters.
The foreign ministry statement went on to warn against “the consequences of the continuation of these indiscriminate attacks that target defenceless civilians”.
Sky News was part of a group of foreign and Egyptian journalists, government supporters and activists who joined Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on a trip to the north Sinai and border.
We saw a large number of tanks and military hardware positioned on either side of the main road to the border crossing point, as well as a line of ambulances.
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Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks during his visit to the crossing
Ambulances near the crossing
Shortly after the prime minister made two speeches – during which he spoke passionately about plans to develop Sinai and the need to uphold humanitarian law in Gaza – the Palestinian border authority said 81 critically ill Gazans were being allowed to cross into Egypt on Wednesday for medical care.
A crowd of activists waving Palestinian flags was also at the Rafah crossing shouting “Free Gaza!” and “Free Palestine!”.
“It is hypocrisy by the West,” one man told us.
“They condemn Russia for bombing civilians in Ukraine but it’s not the same when it happens to Palestinians,” YouTuber Ahmed Ibrahim said.
The border crossing point is crucial as it’s the only one in to Gaza which is not controlled by Israel.
But humanitarian aid trucks have been mostly stopped from taking vital supplies of food, aid and medicines, with Egypt blaming Israel for attacking the crossing and restricting movements.
Only around 50 have been going in over the past few days (66 on Tuesday) compared with around 500 daily before the Hamas attacks inside Israel on 7 October.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators near the crossing
The attacks killed more than 1,400 people and saw more than 230 snatched and now held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
The crossing would be the main exit route for hurt and terrified Gazans but Egypt has been steadfastly refusing to house the Palestinians even temporarily, saying they would never be able to return.
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“It would be the finish for Palestinians,” one activist told us.
“Gaza is Palestinian and Sinai is Egyptian and we stand with our Palestinian brothers and their right to remain there.”
Alex Crawford reports from Egypt with cameraman Jake Britton and producer Chris Cunningham.