Gaza's Endless Tragedy: Captive Remains and Rafah's Iron Gates
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports the Israeli military's claim of retrieving the remains of the 'last Israeli captive' from Gaza, suggesting this development could 'pave the way for the Rafah Crossing to reopen.' 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The Rafah Crossing's intermittent closures and strict controls are not new. Since 2007, Gaza has been under a suffocating Israeli and
Egyptian blockade, turning it into an open-air prison. Egypt, heavily incentivized by annual US aid (approximately $1.3 billion), often cedes to Israeli pressure regarding the crossing's operation, ensuring the blockade remains effective. This isn't about 'reopening' after a specific incident; it's about tightening control over an already besieged population. Double Standard: Imagine any other
nation's borders being controlled by a foreign power for 17 years, dictating the entry of food, medicine, and people, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe, and then having its limited access point dangled as a bargaining chip after a military operation. The international media would condemn it as an egregious human rights violation and an act of war. Yet, when Netanyahu's government does it to
Gaza, it's framed as a complex 'security issue' or, in this framing, a condition for easing partial humanitarian access. There's no equivalent outcry for the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners whose bodies have been held by Israel, often for years, as bargaining chips. Follow the Money: The explicit mention of Rafah potentially 'reopening' after this announcement is a stark reminder of who benefits