TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / June 30, 2024
On June 19, Israeli Army Radio announced that the Rafah border crossing was no longer usable after the Palestinian side was completely destroyed.
Israeli Channel 12 reported on Sunday that the Israeli military plans to rebuild the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt at a new location near the Kerem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, along the Israeli-Egyptian border.
The report mentioned that the new crossing should be managed jointly by Israel, Egypt, the Palestinians, and the Americans.
The Israeli army reportedly intends to expand the buffer zone along 14 kilometers of the Philadelphi Route with the alleged aim of destroying tunnels and preserving what it refers to as its “achievements” in the southern city of Rafah.
On June 19, Israeli Army Radio announced that the Rafah border crossing was no longer usable after the Palestinian side was completely destroyed.
A video clip published by the radio showed the extensive destruction caused by the Israeli occupation army at the crossing, where the main hall was leveled, and surrounding buildings were also destroyed.
On May 7, the Israeli army took control of the crossing, a day after Tel Aviv announced the start of a military operation in the densely populated city of Rafah, disregarding international warnings about the repercussions.
Philadelphi Route
The Philadelphi Route, or Philadelphi Corridor – often referred to as Philadelphia, is a narrow strip of land, long 14 kilometers, located along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt.
In the past, the corridor was under the control of Israeli forces, which patrolled it under the provisions of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.
Israel was allowed to control the corridor even after the Oslo Accords of 1993.
Only in 2005, when Israeli troops redeployed from the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Israel concluded the Philadelphi Accord.
Then, Egypt was committed to deploying 750 border guards along the route to patrol the border on the Egyptian side, while the Palestinian side remained under the control of the Palestinians.
Israel aims to completely isolate the already besieged Gaza Strip from the rest of the world.
The Rafah crossing, which is located along the border with Egypt, is the only crossing that is not directly controlled by Israel.
Gazans are not allowed to use other crossings to enter or exit the besieged Strip.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,877 Palestinians have been killed, and 86,969 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
