Gaza, Israel takes control of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt

For the spokesperson of the border authority of the Strip, the closure of the crossing would represent "a death sentence for the residents"

ROME – Photographs of Israeli tanks controlling the Rafah crossing on the Gaza Strip side, on the border with Egypt, were released today by the Tel Aviv army. The images were taken by local and international newspapers and news agencies. The army claimed to have taken control of the crossing with “a targeted operation” against Hamas conducted “in limited areas of the eastern part of Rafah”. According to the Times of Israel newspaper, on Sunday from the area rockets had been fired in the direction of Kerem Shalom, in southern Israel. The operation, adds the newspaper, had caused the death of four Tel Aviv soldiers.

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Hisham Edwan, spokesman for the Gaza border authority, spoke on the developments in the crossing area, quoted by the broadcaster Al Jazeera. According to the person in charge, a closure of the passage would represent “a death sentence for the residents of the Strip”. Edwan underlined that the crossing is the only way out even for the sick and injured. Its closure, added the manager, would be particularly serious for cancer patients who are in need of treatment.