The Rafah Border: A Humanitarian Chokepoint Engineered for Control
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports on Palestinian patients in Gaza desperately waiting for the Rafah crossing to reopen, hoping to access advanced medical care that is unavailable within the besieged strip, highlighting their plight and the dire humanitarian situation. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The closure and control of Rafah are not new. Gaza has been under a crushing
blockade since 2007, trapping its 2.3 million residents and severely restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and movement for critical procedures. This blockade followed the 2006 Palestinian elections. Prior to that, the Nakba in 1948 saw 750,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes, many finding refuge in what became the Gaza Strip, a territory systematically depopulated
and dispossessed over decades. Double Standard: Western media often frames the Rafah closure as a complex security issue. Yet, if any other population of 2.3 million people were intentionally denied basic medical care and freedom of movement, leading to tens of thousands of deaths, it would rightly be termed ethnic cleansing or genocide. When Russia attacks civilian infrastructure, it's a war
crime; when it happens in Gaza, it's 'collateral damage in a conflict.' Follow the Money: Egypt receives approximately $1.3 billion annually in U.S. military and economic aid, contingent on maintaining certain arrangements, including border control with Gaza. This aid effectively subsidizes Cairo's enforcement of the blockade, making the U.S. and its taxpayers complicit in perpetuating the