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The Bribes and Checkpoints from Gaza through Egypt

(Middle East Eye) Kaamil Ahmed - The Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border is the major portal between Gaza and the outside world. To leave Gaza, Palestinians spend almost a day in Rafah before buses carry them through the Sinai desert, then cross the Suez Canal by ferry and onwards to hospitals in Egypt, while some use Cairo as their gateway to healthcare or studies or work further afield. Bribes to the Egyptians to cross the border have become increasingly common over the past six months. Since May the border has mostly remained open - a total of 133 days compared to 36 during the whole of 2017. The number of people crossing both ways has increased with every month, from 1,500 in March to more than 14,000 in August. An October report by the UN noted that after months of increased access at Rafah, the number of people on the waiting list to exit had remained at 23,000.
2018-11-06 00:00:00
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