Israeli air strike hits Rafah border crossing between Gaza, Egypt, closing only exit from Gaza not controlled by Israel

An Israeli air strike hit the gate at the Rafah border crossing that separates Gaza and Egypt on Monday evening, according to an Egyptian source working at the crossing who saw the incident unfold and a Palestinian journalist.

As a result of the incident, the crossing has been closed, but is expected to resume work normally on Tuesday, said the sources, noting that until the air strike the crossing had been open for people from Gaza who needed to enter Egypt to access humanitarian aid.

Palestinian officials on the Gaza side of the crossing confirmed they are back at their offices, according to the Palestinian journalist.

While no casualties or injuries were reported, Egypt sent 10 ambulances to head to the Egyptian side of the crossing, while another 20 have been stationed at the Rayessa checkpoint east of Arish, a source at the North Sinai Governorate General Office told Mada Masr.

Social media footage obtained and verified by Mada Masr shows the moment the airstrike hit the crossing.

By geolocating the strike and comparing it to aerial imagery of the crossing, Mada Masr was able to identify that the strike hit just behind the gate on the Palestinian side of the border. 

The airstrike on the crossing follows escalating tensions since Hamas launched an unprecedented offensive into Israeli-held territory on Saturday, breaching the separation wall that has cut the Gaza Strip off from the rest of the world for the last 16 years and entering into settlements surrounding the coastal enclave. At least 900 Israelis have been killed — a death toll that is still rising — and dozens were taken prisoner, likely held as a bargaining chip in negotiations to secure the release of hundreds of political prisoners and Hamas members held in Israeli jails without due process. 

The response from Israel has so far been in line with past aggressions, with the Israeli Air Force conducting air raids on the densely populated urban landscape of Gaza, killing at least 687 people thus far. However, there is wide speculation that a ground offensive into Gaza is imminent. Heavy artillery has been making its way to the border of the Gaza Strip since yesterday, and, on Monday, Israel said that it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists. 

The Israeli defense minister also ordered on Monday a “complete siege” on Gaza that would entail cutting off food, fuel and electricity to the over 2 million residents of the enclave. 

Declaring that Israel is at war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation on Sunday, calling on the residents of Gaza —under siege for the past 16 years— to “leave now, because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”

On Monday night, the intelligence-affiliated Al-Qahera News quoted “senior Egyptian sources” as warning against “the pushing of unarmed Palestinians toward the Egyptian border and the feeding by some parties into the calls for mass exodus.” 

“Egyptian sovereignty is not open to violations, and the occupation power is responsible for finding humanitarian corridors to help the people of Gaza,” the senior sources added, according to the TV channel.

In Egypt, which upholds the siege on Gaza from its southern border, hospitals, schools, food suppliers and gas stations in North Sinai, where the Rafah crossing is located, have been making preparations to deal with the massive potential humanitarian fallout from Gaza as Israel was airing its warning of escalation against Palestinians inside the strip. “Egypt fears a humanitarian catastrophe that we would not know how to deal with,” said a government source working on Palestinian affairs who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity. 

According to the source, Egypt has been preparing tons of aid to be sent to the Gaza Strip in case the humanitarian situation worsens. 

While the government source told Mada Masr that the government has issued a security alert on its borders with Gaza as it does not want its borders to be breached, preparations are being made in case that eventuality comes to pass.

In North Sinai, a crisis management meeting at the governorate level saw plans to turn certain areas and buildings in the two Egyptian cities closest to Gaza — Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah — into humanitarian shelters if necessary. 

According to a source at the governorate’s general office, the plan is to be implemented at the instructions of the president’s office and would also entail the Armed Forces enclosing the designated shelter areas with cordons to prevent Palestinians from being able to enter the walled city of Arish.

Heavy military equipment was deployed to Rafah by Egypt’s Armed Forces on Saturday night, according to eyewitnesses in the area.