More than two million Palestinians live in Gaza, a densely packed coastal enclave that is under intense Israeli bombardment.
The Biden administration has held talks with Israel and Egypt about ensuring safe passage for Americans and other civilians out of Gaza.īut Egypt, which already hosts millions of migrants, is uneasy about the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees crossing into its territory. Egypt has denied reports that it has closed its side of the crossing, and said the Palestinian side had been damaged by repeated Israeli airstrikes.Įgyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told CNN on Saturday that the crossing was open but aerial bombardment had rendered the roads “inoperable” on the Gaza side.
Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images/FILEĪ Palestinian border official told CNN that Egypt had blocked the gates of the crossing with concrete slabs. The Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt is seen on October 10.
