The Rafah Border Crossing (), also known as the Rafah Crossing Point and referred to by Egyptian authorities as the Rafah land port, is the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine's Gaza Strip and Gaza's sole border point with a country other than Israel. The Rafah crossing was opened by Israel after the 1979 peace treaty and remained under Israeli control until Israel's disengagement from Gaza in 2005, when it was transferred to Egyptian, Palestinian Authority, and EU control (EUBAM Rafah), giving Palestinians partial control of an international border for the first time.
In 2007, after Hamas seized Gaza, the EU withdrew, and Israel imposed a complete blockade, effectively sealing Gaza. In the same year, Egypt closed the Rafah crossing. Since then, the Rafah crossing has only opened intermittently for Palestinian movement. Under a 2007 agreement between Egypt and Israel, Egypt controls the crossing but imports through the Rafah crossing require Israeli approval.
During the Gaza war, Israel took control of the crossing on 7 May 2024, withdrew under a ceasefire agreement in January 2025, and reoccupied it in March. The crossing was reopened under later ceasefire arrangements on 2 February 2026.
Location and infrastructure The Rafah Border Crossing is located at the original Rafah crossing on the Salah al-Din Road, the main highway of Gaza from Erez to Rafah.
Rafah land port was bombed by Israel in October 2009 allegedly to destroy tunnels.Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, No. 39/2009. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, 8 October 2009 "At approximately 01:35, Israeli fighter jets dropped 3 bombs on Salah al-Din Gate on the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, allegedly to destroy tunnels." A new Rafah Crossing Point, sometimes referred to in Arabic as "Al Awda" ("The Return"), was constructed south of the town of Rafah.RAFAH Access and Closure | December 2014 . OCHA, 3 July 2015. Here available Separately, a commercial gate—known as the "Salah al-Din Gate"—The Rafah Crossing: A Gateway to Hope? . Asharq Al-Awsat, 9 February 2008was first opened in 2018 along Salah al-Din Road and is used for truck traffic between Egypt and Gaza.Israel to open Kerem Shalom Crossing for Gaza aid inspections for first time since war started . Jacob Magid for Times of Israel. Posted and accessed 7 Dec 2023.New Gaza Crossing Raises Questions About Blockade Policies, Neri Zilber for The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 23 Oct 2019. Accessed 7 Dec 2023.
History 1906 Ottoman-British border agreement By the Ottoman–British agreement of 1 October 1906, a border between Ottoman-ruled Palestine and British-ruled Egypt, from Taba to Rafah, was agreed upon.The Evolution of the Egypt-Israel Boundary: From Colonial Foundations to Peaceful Borders , pp. 3, 9, 18. Nurit Kliot, Boundary and Territory Briefing, Volume 1 Number 8. Also part. at Google books
1948–1979: Occupations and wars From 1948, Gaza was occupied by Egypt. Consequently, a Gaza–Egypt border no longer existed. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel conquered both the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, both becoming occupied territories.
1982–2005: Israel-Egypt border at Rafah
In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty that eventually returned the Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip, to Egyptian control. As part of that treaty, a 100-meter-wide strip of land known as the Philadelphi Corridor was established as a buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt.Gaza: The Basics. Some history and background on the Gaza Strip . Nina Rastogi, Slate, 25 January 2008 In the Peace Treaty, the re-created Gaza–Egypt border was drawn across the city of Rafah. When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was divided into an Egyptian and a Palestinian part, splitting up families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.Cinderella in Rafah. Al-Ahram, Issue No. 761, 22–28 September 2005
2005: Israel disengages; Egypt-Palestinian border On 16 February 2005, the Israeli parliament approved the plan for the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, after which the Rafah Border Crossing was temporarily closed.Landmark day on Gaza-Egypt border . BBC, 26 November 2005 Egypt continued to exercise control on the Egyptian side of the Gaza–Egypt border. Under the November 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority assumed administrative responsibility for the Gazan side of the border crossing, with EU monitors overseeing operations.
The Philadelphi Accord between Israel and Egypt, based on the principles of the 1979 peace treaty, provided for the deployment of 750 Egyptian border guards along the length of the border. Both Egypt and Israel pledged to work together to prevent terrorism, arms smuggling, and other illegal cross-border activities.A New Reality on the Egypt-Gaza Border (Part I): Contents of the New Israel-Egypt Agreement . Brooke Neuman, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 19 September 2005 The agreement also granted Israel the authority to dispute the entry of any individual through the crossing.Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing . 15 November 2005.″The PA will notify the GoI 48 hours in advance of the crossing of a person in the excepted categories...The GoI will respond within 24 hours with any objections and will include the reasons for the objections;...On a case-by-case basis, the PA will consider information on persons of concern provided by the GoI. The PA will consult with the GoI and the 3rd party prior to the PA making a decision to prohibit travel or not.″″Rafah will also be used for export of goods to Egypt.″
The AMA principles for Rafah stipulate that "Rafah will also be used for export of goods to Egypt". However, a confidential PLO document revealed that Egypt under president Hosni Mubarak did not permit such exports. All imports of goods were diverted to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing, reportedly because Israel threatened to exclude Gaza from the customs union over concerns about the Paris Protocol implementation. The Palestinians agreed to the diversion in order to reduce Israeli interference at Rafah and maximize their sovereignty. Although intended as a temporary measure, imports through Rafah were never implemented, leading to the rise of a smuggling tunnel economy.
Israel consistently tried to turn the Kerem Shalom border crossing-adjacent to Egypt-into Gaza's main commercial or even passenger crossing between Gaza and Israel. The Palestinian side opposed this, fearing that it would give Israel de facto control over the Gaza-Egypt border or potentially replace Rafah altogether.
On 26 November 2005, the Rafah crossing opened for the first time under the European Union's supervision. The Israeli army maintained video surveillance from a nearby base and retained control over the movement of all goods and trade into and out of Gaza. The agreement allowed Gazans with Palestinian ID cards to pass through. For seven months, the crossing functioned smoothly, with around 1,320 people crossing each day.https://www.btselem.org/gaza-strip/gaza-strip-rafah-crossing The reopening of the Rafah Crossing allowed Palestinians greater freedom of movement and access to international travel. It also opened possibilities for trade that could help revive the economy and improve humanitarian conditions. In addition, it gave the Palestinian Authority a chance to directly manage a border crossing and showcase the competence of its personnel.
From November 2005 to July 2007, the Rafah Crossing was jointly controlled by Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, with the European Union monitoring Palestinian compliance on the Gaza side.FAQs . EU BAM Rafah. Accessed September 2015 In January 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian elections and subsequently formed a government. The Rafah Crossing operated daily until June 2006. However, the terms of the Agreement were regularly breached as Hamas representatives began transporting large sums of cash across the border from Egypt. Despite border checks identifying many of these transfers—often exceeding a million dollars—the EU BAM monitors lacked the authority to stop them from entering Gaza. Despite the strict security arrangements, the EU BAM presence failed to prevent certain wanted individuals from entering Gaza. In December 2005, several Hamas members previously expelled by Israel crossed the Rafah border, prompting Israeli protests. Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon warned of closing all Gaza border crossings if control measures were not upheld. Following talks with Israeli officials, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak pledged to enhance security at the crossing. Palestinian authorities, however, insisted that any holder of Palestinian citizenship had the right to pass through Rafah.
2006 to 2007
On 23 June 2006, Israel issued security warnings that prevented European monitors from travelling to the terminal. In their absence, the Rafah crossing was required to close, leaving hundreds of Palestinians stranded. This was not the first time Israel had closed Rafah. In response, the Hamas-led PA Government threatened to terminate the Rafah border-crossing agreement if the border would not be reopened.Hamas threatens to end Rafah deal . Al Jazeera, 23 June 2006
On 25 June 2006, Palestinian militants attacked the Kerem Shalom border crossing and captured the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel then closed the Rafah crossing, citing security concerns. It was subsequently opened only sporadically and without prior notice. Between then and June 2007, it remained closed for 265 days.
In 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza strip in a conflict with Fatah. Israel announced that it was suspending the Crossings Agreement. The Palestinian personnel designated to operate the crossing under the Palestinian Authority could no longer access the site after Hamas seized control of Gaza. Israel opposed reopening the crossing, citing its inability to oversee who was passing through. Egypt kept the border shut as the Crossings Agreement could not be implemented under the new conditions. The European monitoring team also withdrew, in line with the EU's policy of non-engagement with Hamas. Consequently, since June 2007, the crossing has remained closed under the terms of the original agreement. Egypt, although able to open its side, has largely refrained from doing so, effectively aligning with Israel's blockade policy.
On 12 February 2007, PLO Negotiatior Saeb Erekat complained in a letter to the Israeli Government and the Head of the EU Mission about Israel, closing the Rafah Crossing Point (RCP) on most days by indirect measures, such as "preventing access by the EU BAM to the RCP through Kerem Shalom".February 12, 2007 - Erekat Letter to Pistolese and Dangot Re: Rafah Crossings . Letter from Saeb Erekat to GoI and EU BAM Rafah, 12 February 2007. Here available A 2007 Palestinian background paper mentions the EU concern over crises, "most often caused by the continual Israeli closure of the Crossing". On 7 May 2007, the issue of the Israeli closure of Rafah and Kerem as well was raised at a Coordination and Evaluation meeting. The movement of ambulances via Rafah was prohibited. The EU BAM proposed the use of "shuttle" ambulances at the Crossing, requiring two additional transfers of the patients between the ambulances.NSU Talking Points for EUBAM Rafah 7th CEC Meeting. Palestine Papers. Here available
In June 2007, the Rafah Crossing was closed by the Egyptian authorities after Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip. Due to the lack of security the EU monitors pulled out of the region, and Egypt agreed with Israel to shut down the Rafah Crossing. The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has declared that the Rafah Crossing should remain closed until the control by the Palestinian Presidential Guard is restored.
2007 to 2010