Rafah 'Relaunch' is a Humanitarian Cage Door
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports on a 'pilot reopening' of the Rafah crossing, allowing a limited number of Gaza patients to exit for urgent medical care, amidst confusion over criteria and travel slots. This move is presented as a partial resumption of operations after the crossing's closure following the Israeli ground invasion of eastern Rafah in May 2024. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU:
Historical Context: The Rafah crossing, like all entry and exit points into Gaza, has been under a suffocating 17-year blockade imposed by Israel, severely restricting the movement of people and goods, including critical medical supplies and patients seeking specialized care unavailable in Gaza. This 'pilot reopening' is a microscopic, conditional easing of a situation deliberately created for
decades, worsened by the 2023-24 genocide that has obliterated Gaza's healthcare infrastructure and caused over 40,000 documented deaths. Double Standard: Western media often frames such 'reopenings' as Israeli benevolence, ignoring the international law that recognizes Israel as the occupying power responsible for the welfare of the civilian population. Imagine if Russia, after leveling Ukrainian
cities and hospitals, announced a 'pilot reopening' of a single checkpoint. The outrage would be universal; for Gaza, it's spun as a 'humanitarian effort' from the very entity causing the catastrophe. This mirrors the global silence when the US-backed Saudi blockade of Yemen killed hundreds of thousands, or when US sanctions starved Venezuela, with media blaming the targeted governments. Follow