As pressure mounts on Israel to fulfill its commitment to open the Rafah crossing as part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, details are emerging about Israeli plans that could turn the border point into a tool for displacement.
Reports suggest Israel is considering a new crossing point near Rafah, operating under direct Israeli supervision. According to these plans, crossing procedures would involve stringent security checks, including identity verification, X-ray scanning, and close monitoring of all travelers.
Sources indicate that the European Union would manage the Palestinian side of the new crossing in coordination with the Palestinian General Intelligence Service. However, lists of entrants and exits would reportedly be transferred to the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) for final security review. This arrangement could effectively maintain Israeli control over movement, albeit through intermediary parties.
Further reports suggest Israel aims to restrict the number of Palestinians returning to Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt, ensuring that more people leave than enter. The exact methods Israel intends to use to limit entries remain unclear, as does the desired ratio of departures to arrivals.
According to one Israeli official, the government will determine when the border opens, and Palestinians will not be able to leave or enter Gaza without Israeli approval. Sources also indicate Israel desires to establish a military checkpoint inside Gaza near the border, requiring all Palestinians leaving or returning to pass through and undergo Israeli security checks.
Two sources claim that Israeli officials have insisted on establishing this military checkpoint for inspecting Palestinians leaving or returning. These developments raise concerns that the Rafah crossing, rather than facilitating freedom of movement, could become a mechanism for controlling and potentially limiting the Palestinian population within Gaza.
