Israel Denies Opening of All Seven Border Crossings to Gaza

In theory, to enter or exit Gaza, there are seven border crossings: Rafah, Erez, Kerem Shalom, Karni, Nahal Oz, Sufa, and Kissufim. Currently, however, all of them remain closed due to the actions of Israel and its occupying military forces.

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Over the past few years, only Rafah, Erez, and Kerem Shalom have been operational, aiming to support the survival of over 2.1 million inhabitants trapped in this strip of land.

At the moment, the Rafah crossing is drawing international attention due to negotiations between Jerusalem and Cairo for its reopening and allowing the evacuation of Gazans and foreign residents. Egypt conditions the opening of its border to foreign residents crossing on Israel providing prior entry of aid for the Gazans.

The recent crisis following the war unleashed between Hamas and Israel, which has been bombarding Gaza since Oct. 8, has worsened the situation of the population. They are left without electricity or supplies, waiting for the reopening of Rafah and the other crossings.

Construction of these access points began following the Oslo Accords in 1993 and was completed in 1996. However, the Israeli government has closed them intermittently since 2000, when the Second Intifada broke out. Since 2007, when Hamas forcibly took control of Gaza, crossings have been closed more frequently.

In fact, in recent years, only Rafah crossing, which serves both people and goods, Erez crossing located in the north of Gaza for the transit of people, and Kerem Shalom crossing reserved for the transport of goods have been partially active but with significant restrictions.

On January 18, 2008, Israel closed all the crossings in retaliation for Palestinian rocket launches, leaving Gazans without food, fuel, and on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Under international pressure, on January 22, Israel allowed the entry of basic food and medicine to avert a crisis. However, this wasn't enough as 100,000 Palestinians tore down the metal barrier separating Rafah crossing from Egypt and rushed into the second country to stock up on supplies.

On June 1, 2010, Egypt reopened Rafah crossing for humanitarian reasons after Israeli soldiers attacked the "Freedom Flotilla," a group of six ships carrying over 750 people with humanitarian aid for the strip, resulting in 10 deaths and 30 injuries in international waters.

In July 2014, Egypt reopened Rafah to evacuate the casualties caused by Israel's "Operation Protective Edge" against Hamas targets in Gaza.

In 2015, this crossing was closed for 344 days, although in 2016, it opened more frequently. In the following years, Rafah has remained open sporadically.