A blast hit close to the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Monday, 16 October. No civilians were injured, but there was severe damage to the crossing itself. Egypt’s Al-Qahera News Channel obtained real-time footage of the blast, which has been confirmed by local reports as an Israeli airstrike. The first strike took place on Monday, 9 October, which temporarily halted traffic at the crossing. The following two strikes happened on the second day on Tuesday, 10 October, which damaged the hall on the Palestinian side. Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry has stated on the same day in a joint conference with France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs that Israel has not adopted a stance that would permit the opening of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza side. “Israel is preventing aid from entering Gaza,” Shoukry explained. He emphasised that Egypt and international agencies like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are working together to coordinate urgent relief efforts for Gaza’s civilian population. The currently existing…
4th Bombing of the Rafah Crossing, Israel Not Cooperating with Egypt
October 17, 2023
