Rafah border closes, Egypt authority to contest Hamas’ terrorist status

Egyptian border authorities closed the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after opening it for two days, as a legal appeal is filed by Egypt’s litigation authority against the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization, to be reviewed on March 28. 

The Rafah border will remain closed indefinitely, until further notice from Egyptian authorities.

According to the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA), a total of 2,440 individuals crossed the Rafah border on Monday and Tuesday. Citing Egyptian border authorities, MENA reported that 968 travelled from the Gaza Strip into Egypt and 1,472 travelled in the other direction into Gaza.

According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN,) a total of 2,443 individuals crossed the Rafah border, including 1,010 who travelled to Egypt and 1,433 into Gaza.

PNN reports that the 1,010 who were permitted entry to Egypt were primarily medical patients, study-abroad students, Egyptians and non-Palestinian foreigners. The 1,433 others were primarily Palestinians who had been stranded in Egypt and re-entered the Gaza strip.

PNN also reported that 63 individuals who sought to enter Egypt were turned back at the Rafah border by Egyptian authorities with no explanation as to why.

Egyptian authorities allowed 80 tons of medicine and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip, provided by the United Arab Emirates, MENA reported. The Egyptian Red Crescent delivered the aid to its Palestinian counterparts in Gaza.

Prior to March 9-10, when the Rafah border was last opened, Egyptian authorities had opened the crossing from January 20-22, when just over 990 individuals were allowed to cross in both directions.

Palestinian news outlets reported that in 2014, Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing for a total of 125 days throughout the year, while it remained closed for 241 days.

Gaza's population of over 1.8 million residents is largely deprived of free movement. Israel and Egypt have both tightened their control over Gaza since Hamas forcefully drove out the oppositional Fatah movement from the coastal strip in 2007.

Security officials claim that Hamas is involved in terrorist operations in Egypt, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula. However, Hamas has repeatedly denied these claims.

On January 31, Egypt's judiciary ruled that Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, is officially classified as a terrorist organization.

On February 28, another court verdict classified Hamas itself as a terrorist organization, linking the Islamist group to deadly attacks against Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

The Court of Urgent Matters issued a similar verdict viewing Hamas as a Palestinian offshoot of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, which was officially classified as a terrorist organization by the Egyptian state on December 25, 2013.

A legal appeal by the Egyptian state’s litigation authority is now being processed against the February 31 verdict, and a court date has been set for March 28.

The Reuters news agency reported that Hamas spokespersons commented on the February 31 verdict, claiming it represents "an error against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause."

Hamas' statement added, "We hope this step leads to correcting this error" and that the appeal will contribute to "improving relations" between the Egyptian state and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.