Rafah (, ) is a city in North Sinai and Egypt's eastern border with the Gaza Strip, Palestine. It is the capital of Rafah center in North Sinai Governorate, and is situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

Rafah is the site of the Rafah Border Crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Following the 2013 military coup, the new Egyptian government announced in early 2015 that it would raze the entire city and build a new settlement for its residents, in order to expand a security buffer between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian military began bulldozing sections of Rafah in late 2014. By 2021, the Egyptian military had demolished at least 7,460 buildings in Rafah.

History

When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an Egyptian part, dividing families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.Cinderella in Rafah. Al-Ahram, Issue No. 761, 22–28 September 2005The 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. At Google books The core of the city was destroyed by IsraelRazing Rafah — Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip, pp. 27-28 and 52-66 (PDF text version) on , Summary:. The report on refworld:. Human Rights Watch (HRW), October 2004Supplementary Appeal for Rafah. UNWRA, May 2004PCHR, Uprooting Palestinian Trees And Leveling Agricultural Land – The tenth Report on Israeli Land Sweeping and Demolition of Palestinian Buildings and Facilities in the Gaza Strip 1 April 2003 – 30 April 2004 On and EgyptEgyptian military doubling buffer zone with Gaza, demolishing nearly 1,220 more homes. Associated Press, 8 January 2015“Look for Another Homeland”. Human Rights Watch, September 2015 to create a large buffer zone.

During the 2011 Egyptian protests, anti-government rioters attacked and killed three police officers in the town.

In October 2014, the Egyptian government announced plans to relocate the population and completely demolish the city in order to enlarge the buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza. Between July 2013 and August 2015, Egyptian authorities demolished at least 3,255 residential, commercial, administrative, and community buildings along the border, forcibly evicting thousands of people.

In June 2015 Egypt completed the digging of a ditch at the Rafah Crossing Point, 20 meters wide by 10 meters deep. It is located two kilometers from the border with Gaza outside of Rafah City and part of the enlarged buffer zone. Expansion of the trench along with watchtowers was planned.Egypt builds trench along Gaza border to prevent smuggling. Ma'an News Agency, 22 June 2015 In November 2021, Egypt and Israel signed an agreement that allows Egypt to increase its military presence in Rafah.

By mid-2018, the Egyptian military had destroyed at least 6,850 buildings in the city of Rafah, and from August 2016 to August 2019, the Egyptian army destroyed and closed 3,500 hectares of farmland. Subsequently, the number of buildings destroyed by the Egyptians rose to 7,460. Human Rights Watch stated that these demolitions are likely war crimes.Egypt: Massive Sinai Demolitions Likely War Crimes

Economy Rafah is in a Mediterranean climate zone and agriculture thrives. Due to rain, hail and sleet; the city has plentiful sources of water for agriculture. Mediterranean fruits and crops are dominant, such as: peaches, olives, apples, citrus fruits, dates, grapes, vegetables, strawberries and peppers.

Smuggling to the Gaza Strip has been a major source of income for Bedouin tribesmen, using over 1,200 smuggling tunnels to smuggle food, weapons and other goods into Gaza.Egypt bans Hamas activities in Egypt. Reuters. 4 March 2014

Climate Like east Mediterranean cities and Egypt's north coast but wetter, it is characterised by hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. The temperature during summer can be around during daytime, and rarely exceeds due to the influence of the sea. Winters range from mild to cool during the day and chilly during the night and temperatures dip below very often. Rainfall is average with sometimes hail, sleet and rarely snow takes place.

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (BSh).

Rafah, Alexandria, Abu Qir, Rosetta, Baltim, Kafr el-Dawwar and Mersa Matruh are the wettest places in Egypt.

See also

List of cities and towns in Egypt Rafah Rafah Border Crossing Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels

References