After Hamas attacked Israel, 2 million people were trapped in the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, the border with Egypt was opened to up to 500 foreign nationals in Gaza. At the same time, it is expected that up to 90 wounded Palestinians will be allowed to cross the border to receive medical treatment. Several have already been allowed to pass. The border will also be open tomorrow, Palestinian authorities say. Middle East researcher Erik Skare at the University of Oslo nevertheless underlines that one must not exaggerate the importance of the partial opening today. – We know nothing about how long the border will be open. In addition, there is only talk of a strongly limited number of Palestinians who are allowed to leave. There is still an enormous humanitarian crisis in Gaza, says Skare. Only way out of Gaza From the Gaza Strip there are three border crossings to the outside world. One towards Egypt in the south, and two towards Israel in the south and north. During Hamas’ terrorist attack on 7 October, the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings were used to enter Israel, according to Faktisk.no. Afterwards, both were closed by the Israeli authorities. This meant that the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza towards Egypt became the only way out of the war zone. Egyptian aid workers celebrate the first trucks that were allowed to drive across the border into Gaza. Photo: KEROLOS SALAH / AFP Agreed to increase the pace of emergency aid Until July this year, an average of 27,000 people crossed the Rafah border every month, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On Saturday 21 October, Israel allowed the first vehicles to cross the border into Gaza from Egypt. So far, 84 trucks with food, medicines and other goods have entered Gaza. On Sunday, the US president held talks with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. After emphasizing the need for emergency aid in the conversation with Netanyahu, Sisi and Biden must have agreed to increase the pace of the aid and the size of the deliveries, according to the White House. Even before the war, the Gaza Strip has been under an Egyptian and Israeli blockade since the summer of 2007. The blockade arose as a reaction to the Islamist militia Hamas taking control of the Palestinian territory. Egypt and Israel then considerably tightened the flow of both goods and people. Even before 7 October, the border crossing to Egypt was in practice only open to foreign nationals and Palestinians with a special permit. Won’t give Hamas free rein The Palestinians, their neighboring country to the south, have received a lot of criticism for not letting people out of Gaza. This applies to both foreign nationals and internally displaced Palestinians. In mid-October, there were 200 Norwegian nationals in Gaza, who could not get out with the border closed. – Of course we have sympathy. But at the same time, we must always use our heads to achieve peace and security in a way that does not cost us too much, said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after the war started. French President Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo. Photo: POOL / Reuters The unrest experienced by the authorities in Cairo is serious and legitimate, according to the traditionally Israel-friendly think tank Washington Institute. According to them, Egypt already has 9 million refugees from various countries. – A flood of Palestinian refugees will not only pose humanitarian and economic challenges, but also security and political challenges, writes the think tank. Another element is the danger that persons with connections to Hamas will be able to freely enter Egypt. The fear of the military government in Egypt is that Palestinian Islamists and jihadists will lead to violence and unrest in the country. – They also do not want to go against the USA and Israel, since the country is a major recipient of American financial support. That’s according to Dag Henrik Tuastad, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oslo. First lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oslo, Dag Henrik Tuastad, says Hamas does not want the Palestinians to leave Gaza. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / Frode Fjerdingstad Believes Egypt fears permanent evacuation Skare says that Gaza has always been sensitive to Egypt. – And especially for the Sisi regime. Sisi is no friend of Hamas and has no interest in Hamas surviving in the Gaza Strip. They also fear that a large-scale evacuation from Gaza will become permanent, as has happened in other Arab countries, he says. He also points out that Egypt is struggling economically. – They have a lot of debt. It is conceivable that Egypt will put pressure on the West to cancel parts of its debt if they open the border. The opening we are now seeing has taken place through negotiations with Egypt, Israel and Hamas, which among other things have been facilitated by the US and the EU, says Skare. Hamas to blame for hiding among civilians – Hamas does not want the Palestinians to leave Gaza, says Dag Henrik Tuastad. Tuastad points out that two thirds of the Palestinian population are refugees or descendants of refugees who were expelled from Israel when the state was established in 1948. Many say there have been reports that Hamas is holding back Palestinians in Gaza. – But there is currently nothing to confirm these reports, and nothing to indicate that Hamas has the ability to do so either. They have probably asked the residents of Gaza to be steadfast and stand by their post. But there is no indication that they are using coercion or force to make that happen, he says. Another reason can be found in Hamas’s military plans. – Part of the strategy is to hide among the civilian population without Israel knowing who is part of Hamas, and who is not, says Tuastad. Hamas is often criticized for hiding among civilians. Skare emphasizes that Gaza is one of the world’s most densely populated areas. – When it is pointed out that Hamas fires rockets from the vicinity of schools, mosques and other civilian areas, it must be emphasized that everything in Gaza is in the vicinity of such areas. That does not mean that Hamas is in any way exempt from the responsibility to follow the rules of war, but I don’t think anyone realizes how populous Gaza actually is, says Skare.
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This is why it is so difficult for the Palestinians to escape from Gaza – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
