News - Middle East: Media outlets of the Zionist entity revealed on Sunday discussions taking place between the United States, Egypt, and the Zionist entity regarding the relocation of the Rafah Crossing from the border triangle between Gaza and Egypt to another location.

The Hebrew website Ynet quoted a senior official in the Zionist entity as saying that discussions are underway between officials of the entity and their counterparts from the United States and Egypt regarding the relocation of the Rafah Crossing in the border triangle to make Kerem Shalom Crossing the alternative crossing.

The Israeli website I24NEWS explained that Tel Aviv has presented the issue of relocating the Rafah Crossing to the Egyptians, but they have not yet responded positively. No statement has been issued by Egypt regarding this proposal, and no official Israeli clarification has been issued on this matter.

The Israeli Channel 13 mentioned that the intervention aims, on one hand, to allow Egyptian intervention at the crossing without engaging in a confrontation over the issue, and on the other hand, to ensure that the crossing is located on the borders with the areas occupied by the enemy. The Israeli entity believes that relocating the crossing will allow them to conduct security checks and prevent border smuggling operations.

The Israeli channel also noted that the Egyptian authorities have not responded positively to the Israeli proposal. The channel stated that the US administration responded positively to the proposal and believes that the idea of relocating the crossing is good, but it requires economic support.

Often referred to as a lifeline for people in Gaza, the Rafah border allows Palestinians living in the war-torn enclave to have a vital connection to the outside world and essential resources. It’s located along the 12km border that divides the Gaza Strip from Egypt.  

The Rafah border is one of two main crossings for inhabitants of Gaza. While Rafah is located in the south of the Strip, another crossing called Erez is located in the north at the Israeli border. Rafah is thus the only crossing that isn’t directly controlled by Israel.

Rafah is controlled by Egypt, but Israel monitors all activity in southern Gaza from its Kerem Shalom military base, found at the junction between Gaza, Israel, and Egypt, and other surveillance points.

“Theoretically, Rafah should be controlled by the Palestinian and Egyptian authorities,” says Lorenzo Navone, a sociologist specializing in borders and conflicts at the University of Strasbourg who has carried out significant research on the crossing. “But Israel still influences the crossing.”