Rafah: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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{{Short description|Palestinian city in southsouthern Gaza Strip}}
{{about|the city in the Gaza Strip, in Palestine|the part of the city in [[North Sinai Governorate|North Sinai]]|Rafah, Egypt|other uses|Rafah (disambiguation)}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
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| translit_lang1_type = [[Arabic script|Arabic]]
| translit_lang1_info = رَفَح
| image_skyline = Egyptian_Convoy_to_Gaza,_PalestineRafah-11252.jpg
| image_caption = TheAerial Rafahview Borderof CrossingRafah in 2012
| pushpin_map = Palestine
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Rafah
| pushpin_relief = 1
| image_map = Location RhafaRafah.png
| map_caption = Location of Rafah in the Gaza Strip
| coordinates = {{coord|31|16|21|N|34|15|31|E|region:PS|display=inline,title}}
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| grid_position = 77/78
| subdivision_type = State
| subdivision_name = {{flag|State of Palestine}}<ref name="ISO3166PS">{{cite web |title=PS – Palestine, State of |url=https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:PS |website=ISO – Online Browsing Platform |publisher=[[International Organization for Standardization]] |access-date=15 March 2024}}</ref>
| subdivision_name = {{flag|State of Palestine}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Governorates of the State of Palestine|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Rafah Governorate|Rafah]]<ref name="ISO3166PS" />
| established_title = Founded
| established_date =
| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| government_type = [[List of cities in Palestinian Authority areas|City]]
| leader_title = Head of Municipality
| leader_name = Anwar al-Shaer (2019)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/11/gaza-strip-municipalities-elections-presidents-rafah.html|title=Palestinians criticize Hamas' decision to appoint municipal presidents -– Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East|date=November 2019 }}</ref>
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |author=Al Jazeera Staff |title=What’sWhat's happening in Gaza’sGaza's Rafah as Israel threatens to attack? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/what-is-happening-in-gazas-rafah-as-israel-threatens-to-attack |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 64
| area_total_dunam =
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}}
'''Rafah''' ({{lang-ar|رفح}} {{transliteration|ar|Rafaḥ}} {{IPA-|ar|rafaħ|}}; {{lang-he|רָפִיחַ}} {{transliteration|he|Rafiaḥ}} {{IPA-he|ʁaˈfi.aχ|}}) is a [[Palestinian]] city in the southern [[Gaza Strip]];, [[State of Palestine|Palestine]]. itIt is the capital of the [[Rafah Governorate]] of the [[State of Palestine]], located {{convert|30|km|mi|sp=us}} south-west of [[Gaza City]]. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889.<ref name="PrelimCensus2017" /> As a result of massive bombardment and ground assaults in [[Gaza City]] and [[Khan Yunis]] by [[Israel]] during the [[Israel–Hamas war]], about 1.4 million peoplePalestinians are believed to be sheltering in Rafah as of February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gaza: Israel’sIsrael's military operation in Rafah would be fatal for displaced civilians and humanitarian aid |url=https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/february/gaza-israels-military-operation-in-rafah-would-be-fatal-for-displaced-civilians-and-humanitarian-aid/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Palestinian%20Central,an%20increase%20of%205.3%20times. |date=8 February 2024|access-date=8 February 2024 |work=Norwegian Refugee Council}}</ref> are believed to be sheltering in Rafah as of February 2024.
After the [[1948 Palestine war]], [[Egypt]] governed the area and [[refugee camp]]s for displaced Palestinians who [[1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight|fled or were expelled]] from what became Israel were established. During the [[Suez Crisis]], the [[Israel Defence Forces]] (IDF) killed 111 Palestinians, including 103 refugees in the Rafah refugee camp, during the [[1956 Rafah massacre]]. During the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], Israeli forces occupied the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and [[Gaza Strip]] after capturing them from Egypt. In the same year, IDF troops bulldozed and demolished 144 houses in the Rafah refugee camp, killing 23 Palestinians.<ref name="HC"/>
When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an [[Rafah, Egypt|Egyptian part]], dividing families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.<ref name=cinderella/><ref name=kliot_1995/> The core of the city was destroyed by Israel<ref name="Razing_Rafah">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/rafah1004text.pdf ''Razing Rafah — Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip''], pp. 27–28 and 52–66 (PDF text version) on [https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060324012233/http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/gaza/ Summary:]. [http://www.refworld.org/docid/45d171362.html ''The report on refworld:'']. Human Rights Watch (HRW), October 2004</ref><ref name=UNWRA_appeal>[http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011813024.pdf ''Supplementary Appeal for Rafah'']. UNWRA, May 2004</ref><ref name="Uprooting">PCHR, [http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Reports/English/uprooting%20_trees%20_10.pdf ''Uprooting Palestinian Trees And Leveling Agricultural Land – The tenth Report on Israeli Land Sweeping and Demolition of Palestinian Buildings and Facilities in the Gaza Strip 1 April 2003 – 30 April 2004''] On [http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2675:the-tenth-report-on-israeli-land-sweeping-and-demolition-of-palestinian-buildings-and-facilities-in-the-gaza-strip-1-april-2003-30-april2004&catid=43:pchrdemolitionlandsweeping&Itemid=187]</ref> and Egypt<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/08/egyptian-military-doubling-buffer-zone-with-gaza-demolishing-nearly-1220-more/ ''Egyptian military doubling buffer zone with Gaza , demolishing nearly 1,220 more homes'']. Associated Press, 8 January 2015</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/22/look-another-homeland/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah ''Look for Another Homeland'']. Human Rights Watch, September 2015</ref> to create a large [[Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone|buffer zone]].▼
▲When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an [[Rafah, Egypt|Egyptian part]], dividing families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.<ref name=cinderella /><ref name=kliot_1995 /> The core of the city was destroyed by Israel,<ref name="Razing_Rafah">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/rafah1004text.pdf ''Razing Rafah — Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip''], pp. 27–28 and 52–66 (PDF text version) on [https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060324012233/http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/gaza/ Summary:]. [http://www.refworld.org/docid/45d171362.html ''The report on refworld:'']. Human Rights Watch (HRW), October 2004</ref><ref name=UNWRA_appeal>[http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011813024.pdf ''Supplementary Appeal for Rafah'']. UNWRA, May 2004</ref><ref name="Uprooting">PCHR, [http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Reports/English/uprooting%20_trees%20_10.pdf ''Uprooting Palestinian Trees And Leveling Agricultural Land – The tenth Report on Israeli Land Sweeping and Demolition of Palestinian Buildings and Facilities in the Gaza Strip 1 April 2003 – 30 April 2004''] On [http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2675:the-tenth-report-on-israeli-land-sweeping-and-demolition-of-palestinian-buildings-and-facilities-in-the-gaza-strip-1-april-2003-30-april2004&catid=43:pchrdemolitionlandsweeping&Itemid=187]</ref> andas well as Egypt,<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/08/egyptian-military-doubling-buffer-zone-with-gaza-demolishing-nearly-1220-more/ ''Egyptian military doubling buffer zone with Gaza , demolishing nearly 1,220 more homes'']. Associated Press, 8 January 2015</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/22/look-another-homeland/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah ''Look for Another Homeland'']. Human Rights Watch, September 2015</ref> in order to create a large [[Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone|buffer zone]].
Rafah is the site of the [[Rafah Border Crossing]], the sole crossing point between [[Egypt]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]. Gaza's only airport, [[Yasser Arafat International Airport|Yasar Arafat International Airport]], was located just south of the city. The airport operated from 1998 to 2001, until it was bombed and bulldozed by the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]] (IDF).▼
▲Rafah is the site of the [[Rafah Border Crossing]], the sole crossing point between [[Egypt]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]. Gaza's only airport, [[Yasser Arafat International Airport|Yasar Arafat International Airport]], was located just south of the city. The airport operated from 1998 to 2001, until it was bombed and bulldozed by the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]] (IDF).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-05-19 |title=Grounded in Gaza, but hoping to fly again |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7900217 |access-date=2024-03-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=http://legacy.icao.int/icao/en/nr/2002/pio200203_e.pdf |access-date=2024-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222201351/http://legacy.icao.int/icao/en/nr/2002/pio200203_e.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref>
==Etymology==▼
▲== Etymology ==
{{Hiero|rpwḥw<ref name="Gauthier">{{cite book |last1=Gauthier |first1=Henri |title=Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques |volume=3 |date=1926 |page=118 |url=https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1926/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref>|<hiero>r:Z1-p-w-bH:mDAt-xAst</hiero>|align=left|era=nk}}
Over the ages itthe city has been known as {{Transliteration|egy|Rpwḥw}} by the [[ancient Egyptians]],<ref name="Gauthier" /> {{lang|akk|𒊏𒉿𒄭}} {{transliteration|akk|Rapiḫi}} or {{lang|akk|𒊏𒉿𒄷}} {{transliteration|akk|Rapiḫu}} by the [[Assyria]]ns,<ref>{{cite book |last=Parpola |first=Simo |date=1970 |title=Neo-Assyrian Toponyms |url=https://archive.org/details/neoassyriantopon0000parp |location=Kevaeler |publisher=Butzon & Bercker |page=291 |isbn=}}</ref> רפיח ''Rāphiyaḥ'' by the [[Israelites|ancient Israelites]], {{lang|grc|Ῥαφία}} {{transliteration|grc|RhaphíaRhaphíā}}<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0233%3Abook%3D5%3Achapter%3D86%3Asection%3D7 Polybius, Histories, 5.86.7]</ref> by the [[Greece|GreekGreeks]]s, "''Raphia"'' by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], רפיחand "Rafiaḥ" by the [[Israelites]], "''Rafh"'' by the [[Arab Caliphate]]. The transliteration of the Hebrew name, "Rafiah", is used in modern English alongside "Rafah".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1153519&fid=2245&c=gaza_strip |title=Rafīah: Gaza Strip; name, map, geographic coordinates |publisher=Geographic.org |access-date=2014-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Zaki|first=Chehab|year=2007|title=Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies|publisher=I.B.Tauris|page=180|isbn=9781845113896|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWEg6Tfai_oC&q=rafiah&pg=PA180|access-date=2015-09-02}}</ref>
In English, ''Rafah'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ɑː|f|ə}} (US) or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|æ|f|ə}} (UK)), derived from the modern Arabic, is most common, but ''Rafiah'' {{IPAc-en|r|ə|ˈ|f|iː|ə}} (from the modern Hebrew) is also used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1153519&fid=2245&c=gaza_strip |title=Rafīah: Gaza Strip; name, map, geographic coordinates |publisher=Geographic.org |access-date=2014-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Zaki|first=Chehab|year=2007|title=Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies|publisher=I.B.Tauris|page=180|isbn=978-1-84511-389-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWEg6Tfai_oC&q=rafiah&pg=PA180|access-date=2015-09-02}}</ref> The form ''Raphiah'' {{IPAc-en|r|ə|ˈ|f|aɪ|ə}} (from the ancient Hebrew) is used as well, especially in historical contexts such as the [[Battle of Raphia|Battle of Raphiah]].
==Development==▼
▲== Development ==
The Ottoman–British agreement of 1 October 1906 established a [[Borders of Israel#Border with Egypt|boundary between Ottoman ruled Palestine and British ruled Egypt]], from [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]] to Rafah. After [[World War I]], Palestine was also under British control, but the Egypt-Palestine Boundary was maintained to control movement of the local [[Bedouin]]. From the mid-1930s the British enhanced the border control and Rafah evolved as a small boundary town which functioned as a trade and services centre for the semi-settled Beduin population.<ref name="kliot_1995">{{Cite book |last=Kliot |first=Nurit |url=https://www.durham.ac.uk/media/durham-university/research-/research-centres/ibru-centre-for-borders-research/maps-and-databases/publications-database/boundary-amp-territory-briefings/btb_1-8.pdf |title=The Evolution of the Egypt-Israel Boundary: From Colonial Foundations to Peaceful Borders |publisher=[[International Boundaries Research Unit]], Department of Geography, [[University of Durham]] |year=1995 |isbn=1-897643-17-9 |editor-last=Schofield |editor-first=Clive |series=Boundary and Territory Briefing |volume=1 |pages=3, 9, 18 |access-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805141333/https://www.durham.ac.uk/media/durham-university/research-/research-centres/ibru-centre-for-borders-research/maps-and-databases/publications-database/boundary-amp-territory-briefings/btb_1-8.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2021 |url-status=live |via=www.durham.ac.uk |issue=8}}</ref> During [[World War II]], it became an important British base.▼
▲The Ottoman–British agreement of 1 October 1906 established a [[Borders of Israel#Border with Egypt|boundary between Ottoman -ruled Palestine and British -ruled Egypt]], from [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]] to Rafah. After [[World War I]], Palestine was also under British control, but the Egypt-Palestine Boundary was maintained to control movement of the local [[Bedouin]]. FromDuring the mid-1930s, the British enhanced the border control and Rafah evolved as a small boundary town whichthat functioned as a trade and services centre for the semi-settled Beduin population.<ref name="kliot_1995">{{Cite book |last=Kliot |first=Nurit |url=https://www.durham.ac.uk/media/durham-university/research-/research-centres/ibru-centre-for-borders-research/maps-and-databases/publications-database/boundary-amp-territory-briefings/btb_1-8.pdf |title=The Evolution of the Egypt-Israel Boundary: From Colonial Foundations to Peaceful Borders |publisher=[[International Boundaries Research Unit]], Department of Geography, [[University of Durham]] |year=1995 |isbn=1-897643-17-9 |editor-last=Schofield |editor-first=Clive |series=Boundary and Territory Briefing |volume=1 |pages=3, 9, 18 |access-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805141333/https://www.durham.ac.uk/media/durham-university/research-/research-centres/ibru-centre-for-borders-research/maps-and-databases/publications-database/boundary-amp-territory-briefings/btb_1-8.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2021 |url-status=live |via=www.durham.ac.uk |issue=8}}</ref> During [[World War II]], it became an important British base.
Following the Armistice Agreement of 24 February 1949, Rafah was located in Egypt-occupied Gaza and consequently, a [[Gaza–Egypt border]] did no longer exist. Rafah could grow without any consideration being taken of the old 1906 international boundary.<ref name=kliot_1995/> In the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], Israel conquered the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the Gaza Strip from Egypt and all of the city now was under Israeli occupation.▼
▲Following the Armistice Agreement of 24 February 1949, Rafah was located in Egypt-occupied Gaza and consequently, a [[Gaza–Egypt border]] did no longer exist. Rafah could grow without any consideration being taken of the old 1906 international boundary.<ref name=kliot_1995 /> In the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], Israel conquered the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the Gaza Strip from Egypt and all of the city now was now under Israeli occupation.
In 1979, [[Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty|Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty]] that returned the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], which borders the Gaza Strip, to Egyptian control. In the Peace Treaty, the re-created Gaza–Egypt border was drawn across the city of Rafah. Rafah was divided into an Egyptian and a Palestinian part, splitting up families, separated by barbed-wire barriers. Families were separated, property was divided and many houses and orchards were cut across and destroyed by the new boundary, bulldozed, allegedly for security reasons. Rafah became one of the three border points between Egypt and Israel.<ref name="cinderella">{{Cite news |last=Usher |first=Graham |date=22 September 2005 |title=Cinderella in Rafah |work=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]] Online |issue=761, 22–28 September 2005 |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/761/re1.htm |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051022004151/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/761/re1.htm |archive-date=22 October 2005 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref><ref name=kliot_1995/>▼
▲In 1979, [[Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty|Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty]] that returned the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], which borders the Gaza Strip, to Egyptian control. In the Peace Treaty, the re-created Gaza–Egypt border was drawn across the city of Rafah. Rafah was divided into an Egyptian and a Palestinian part, splitting up families, separated by barbed-wire barriers. Families were separated, property was divided and many houses and orchards were cut across and destroyed by the new boundary, bulldozed, allegedly for security reasons. Rafah became one of the three border points between Egypt and Israel.<ref name="cinderella">{{Cite news |last=Usher |first=Graham |date=22 September 2005 |title=Cinderella in Rafah |work=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]] Online |issue=761, 22–28 September 2005 |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/761/re1.htm |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051022004151/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/761/re1.htm |archive-date=22 October 2005 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref><ref name=kliot_1995 />
==Demographics==▼
In [[1922 census of Palestine|1922]], Rafah's population was 599,<ref name=Census1922/> which increased to 1,423 in 1931,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mills |first=E. |title=Census of Palestine 1931 |publisher=Greek Convent & Goldberg Presses |year=1931 |location=Jerusalem |pages=6}}</ref> increasing again to 1,635 in 1938,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=64}}</ref> and further increased to 2,220 in 1945.<ref name=Hadawi46/> In 1982, the total population was approximately 10,800.<ref>[http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Rafah_1500/index.html Welcome to Rafah] Palestine Remembered.</ref>▼
▲== Demographics ==
In the 1997 [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) census, Rafah and its adjacent camp had a combined population of 91,181, [[Tall as-Sultan]] was listed with a further 17,141.<ref name="PCBS1997">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx|title=Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-date=4 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304123037/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Palestinian refugee|Refugee]]s made up 80.3% of the entire population.<ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t6.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118200339/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t6.aspx |date=2008-11-18 }}. [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS).</ref> In the 1997 census, Rafah's (together with [[Rafah camp]]) gender distribution was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.<ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614231554/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx |date=2008-06-14 }} [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]].</ref>▼
▲In [[1922 census of Palestine|1922]], Rafah's population was 599,<ref name=Census1922 /> which increased to 1,423 in 1931,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mills |first=E. |title=Census of Palestine 1931 |publisher=Greek Convent & Goldberg Presses |year=1931 |location=Jerusalem |pages=6}}</ref> increasing again to 1,635 in 1938,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=64}}</ref> and further increased to 2,220 in 1945.<ref name=Hadawi46 /> In 1982, the total population was approximately 10,800.<ref>[http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Rafah_1500/index.html Welcome to Rafah] Palestine Remembered.</ref>
▲In the 1997 [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) census, Rafah and its adjacent camp had a combined population of 91,181, [[Tall as-Sultan]] was listed with a further 17,141.<ref name="PCBS1997">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx|title=Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-date=4 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304123037/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Palestinian refugee|RefugeeRefugees]]s made up 80.3% of the entire population.<ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t6.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118200339/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t6.aspx |date=2008-11-18 }}. [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS).</ref> In the 1997 census, Rafah's (together with [[Rafah camp]]) gender distribution was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.<ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614231554/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/raf_t1.aspx |date=2008-06-14 }} [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]].</ref>
In the 2006 PCBS estimate, Rafah city had a population of 71,003,<ref name="PCBS2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/populati/pop16.aspx|title=PCBS] [Palestinian Central Bureau of Statisctics (PCBS) Projected Mid-Year Population for Rafah Governorate by Locality 2004–2006|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref> [[Rafah camp]] and [[Tall as-Sultan]] form separate localities for census purposes, having populations of 59,983 and 24,418, respectively.<ref name="PCBS2006" />
==Archaeology History ==
[[Antiochus III]], willing to make peace with [[Ptolemy V]], had his daughter [[Cleopatra I]] marry Ptolemy V. Their marriage took place in 193 BC in Raphia.<ref>Polybius 18.51.10 and 28.20.9; Livy 33.40.3 and 35.13.4; Appian, Syriaca 3.13 and 5.18</ref>▼
==History==
[[File:Gaza Strip map2.svg|thumb|right|Rafah is at the southern end of the Gaza Strip]]
=== Bronze Age Raphia ===
Rafah has a history stretching back thousands of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Seti I]], from 1303 BCE as ''Rph'', and as the first stop on Pharaoh [[Shoshenq I]]'s campaign to the [[Levant]] in 925 BCE. In 720 BCE it was the site of the [[Assyria]]n king [[Sargon II]]'s victory over the [[Egyptians]].<ref name=STFJ>[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/127discuss.html Raphia – (Rafah)] Studium Biblicum Franciscanum – Jerusalem.</ref>
=== Hellenistic and Roman periods ===
In 217 BCE the [[Battle of Raphia]] was fought between the victorious [[Ptolemy IV of Egypt|Ptolemy IV]] and [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus III]].<ref name=STFJ /> It is said to be one of the largest battles ever fought in the Levant, with over a hundred thousand soldiers and hundreds of [[elephant]]s.
▲[[Antiochus III]], willing to make peace with [[Ptolemy V]], had his daughter [[Cleopatra I]] marry Ptolemy V. Their marriage took place in 193 BC in Raphia.<ref>Polybius 18.51.10 and 28.20.9; Livy 33.40.3 and 35.13.4; Appian, Syriaca 3.13 and 5.18</ref>
The town was conquered by [[Alexander Yannai]] and held by the [[Hasmonean]]s until it was rebuilt in the time of [[Pompey]] and [[Aulus Gabinius|Gabinius]]; the latter seems to have done the actual work of restoration for the era of the town dates from 57 BCE. Rafah is mentioned in [[Strabo]] (16, 2, 31), the [[Antonine Itinerary]], and is depicted on the [[Map of Madaba]].<ref name=STFJ />
=== Byzantine period ===
During the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period, it was a [[diocese]],<ref name=STFJ /><ref>Joseph Bingham, Origines Ecclesiasticae; Or the Antiquities of the Christian Church and Other Works: In Nine Volumes, Volume 3(Straker, 1843) [https://archive.org/details/originesecclesia02bing/page/61 <!-- quote=Diocese of Raphia. --> p 61].</ref> and [[Byzantine]] [[ceramics]] and [[coin]]s have been found there.<ref>Dauphin, 1998, p. 953</ref> It was represented at the [[Council of Ephesus]] 431 CE by Bishop Romanus, but today remains a [[titular see]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]<ref>Tadrous Y. Malaty, Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church OrthodoxEbooks,1993) [https://books.google.com/books?id=TrhLRZmCqX8C&q=Raphia&pg=PA13 page 13].</ref> but a small [[Greek Orthodox]] presence exists.
=== Early Muslim to Mamluk periods ===
Rafah was one of the towns captured by the [[Rashidun army]] under general [['Amr ibn al-'As]] in 635 CE, and subsequently was an important trading city during the Early Muslim period.<ref>[[al-Biladhuri]] quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/xix/mode/1up xix]. Al-Biladhuri lists the cities captured by Amr ibn al-'As as Ghazzah (Gaza), Sebastiya ([[Sebastia, Nablus|Sebastia]]), [[Nabulus]], Amwas ([[Imwas]]), Kaisariyya ([[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]]), [[Yibna]], Ludd ([[Lod|Lydda]]), Rafh (Rafah), [[Bayt Jibrin]], and Yaffa ([[Jaffa]]). Cited in le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/28/mode/1up 28]</ref> Under the [[Umayyad]]s and [[Abbasid]]s, Rafah was the southernmost border of [[Jund Filastin]] ("District of Palestine"). According to Arab geographer [[al-Ya'qubi]], it was the last town in the Province of Syria and on the road from [[Ramla]] to [[Egypt]].<ref name=LeStrange>le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/517/mode/1up 517]</ref>
A [[Jewish]] community settled in the city in the 9th and 10th centuries and again in the 12th, although in the 11th century, it suffered a decline and in 1080 they migrated to [[Ashkelon]]. A [[Samaritan]] community also lived there during this{{clarify|reason=Which period? C9-10=Abbasid and possibly Fatimid; 12th is Crusader, possibly also Ayyubid rule. Very different.|date=May 2021}} period. Like most cities of southern [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], ancient Rafah had a landing place on the coast (now Tell Rafah), while the main city was inland.<ref name=STFJ />
In 1226, Arab geographer [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] writes of Rafah's former importance in the early Arab period, saying it was "of old a flourishing town, with a market, and a [[mosque]], and hostelries". However, he goes on to say that in its current state, Rafah was in ruins, but was an [[Ayyubid]] postal station on the road to Egypt after nearby [[Deir al-Balah]].<ref name="LeStrange" />
=== Ottoman and Egyptian period ===
Rafah appeared in the 1596 [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[daftar|tax registers]] as being in the ''[[Nahiya]]'' of Gaza of the ''[[Liwa (Arabic)|Liwa]]'' of [[Gaza Sanjak|Gazza]]. It had a population of 15 households, all Muslim, who paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, occasional revenues, goats and/or bee hives.<ref name=Hutteroth>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 150</ref>▼
▲Rafah appeared in the 1596 [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[daftarDaftar|tax registers]] as being in the ''[[Nahiya]]'' of Gaza of the ''[[Liwa (Arabic)|Liwa]]'' of [[Gaza Sanjak|Gazza]]. It had a population of 15 households, all Muslim, who paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, occasional revenues, goats and/or bee hives.<ref name=Hutteroth>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 150</ref> In 1799, the French [[Army of the Orient]], led by [[Napoleon]], passed through Rafah during the [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria]].<ref name=Dwyer>Dwyer, 2007, p. 415</ref> Rafah was the boundary between the provinces of Egypt and Syria. In 1832, the area came under Egyptian occupation of [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]], which lasted until 1840.
In 1799, the Revolutionary Army of France commanded by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] passed through Rafah during the [[Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt#Syrian Campaign|invasion of Egypt and Syria]].<ref name=Dwyer>Dwyer, 2007, p. 415</ref>
The French explorer [[Victor Guérin]], who visited Rafah in May 1863, noted two pillars of granite which the locals called ''Bab el Medinet,'' meaning "The Gate of the town".<ref>Guérin, 1869, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongog02gu#page/233/mode/1up 233]-35</ref> In 1881, [[Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria]] wrote: "Fragments of gray granite pillars, still standing, are here to be met with about the road, the fields, and the sand, and we saw one lying on the ground half buried... The pillars are the remains of an ancient temple, Raphia, and are of special importance in the eyes of the Arabs, who call them Rafah, as they mark the boundary between Egypt and Syria."<ref>Ludwig Salvator, Archduke of Austria, 1881, p. [https://archive.org/stream/caravanroutebetw00ludwrich#page/54/mode/1up 54]</ref>▼
Rafah was the boundary between the provinces of Egypt and Syria. In 1832, the area came under Egyptian occupation of [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]], which lasted until 1840.
===WWI and British Mandateperiod ===▼
▲The French explorer [[Victor Guérin]], who visited in May 1863, noted two pillars of granite which the locals called ''Bab el Medinet,'' meaning "The Gate of the town".<ref>Guérin, 1869, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongog02gu#page/233/mode/1up 233]-35</ref> In 1881, [[Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria]] wrote: "Fragments of gray granite pillars, still standing, are here to be met with about the road, the fields, and the sand, and we saw one lying on the ground half buried... The pillars are the remains of an ancient temple, Raphia, and are of special importance in the eyes of the Arabs, who call them Rafah, as they mark the boundary between Egypt and Syria."<ref>Ludwig Salvator, Archduke of Austria, 1881, p. [https://archive.org/stream/caravanroutebetw00ludwrich#page/54/mode/1up 54]</ref>
[[File:Rafah 1931.jpg|thumb|A map of Rafah 1931in 1:20,0001931]]▼
On 9 January 1917, British forces [[Battle of Rafa|captured Rafah]], and subsequently used it as a [[Stage station|staging post]] for their [[First Battle of Gaza (1917)|first attempt to capture Gaza]]. The presence of British military bases in Rafah served an economic draw which led to an influx of internal migration to the city. In the [[1922 census of Palestine]] conducted by the [[Mandate for Palestine|British MandateMandatory authorities]], Rafah had a population of 599 inhabitants, all of which Muslim,.<ref name=Census1922>Barron, 1923, Table V, [[Gaza Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine|Sub-district of Gaza]], p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n10/mode/1up 8]</ref> increasingNine inyears later, the Mandatory authorities conducted the [[1931 census of Palestine|1931 census]], by which time Rafah's population had increased to 1,423, stillresidents all Muslims,living in 228 houses, all of which were still Muslim.<ref name=Census1931>Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 6]</ref>▼
▲===WWI and British Mandate===
In 1917, the [[Battle of Rafa|British army captured Rafah]], and used it as a base for [[First Battle of Gaza (1917)|their attack on Gaza]]. The presence of the army bases was an economic draw that brought people back to the city.
In the [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945]], a joint survey conducted by the Mandatory government's Government Office of Statistics and Department of Lands for the [[Anglo-American Committee of statisticsInquiry]], Rafah had aan all-Muslim population of 2,220, allpeople Muslimswith 40,579 [[dunam]]s of land.<ref name=1945p12>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p32.jpg 32]</ref> with 40,579 [[dunam]]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref name=Hadawi46>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Gaza/Page-046.jpg 46]</ref> Of thisthese, 275 dunams were plantations[[plantation]]s and irrigable land, 24,173 dunams were used for cerealsgrowing [[cereal]]s, while 16,131 dunams were un-cultivable land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Gaza/Page-088.jpg 88]</ref> while 16,131 dunams were un-cultivable land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Gaza/Page-138.jpg 138]</ref>▼
▲In the [[1922 census of Palestine]] conducted by the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate authorities]], Rafah had a population of 599 inhabitants, all Muslim,<ref name=Census1922>Barron, 1923, Table V, [[Gaza Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine|Sub-district of Gaza]], p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n10/mode/1up 8]</ref> increasing in the [[1931 census of Palestine|1931 census]] to 1,423, still all Muslims, in 228 houses.<ref name=Census1931>Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 6]</ref>
=== 1948–1967 ===
▲[[File:Rafah 1931.jpg|thumb|Rafah 1931 1:20,000]]
[[File:Gaza airport 03.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Yasser Arafat International Airport]] near Rafah which was destroyed by Israel during the [[Second Intifada]].]]
After the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], Egypt governed the area (see [[All-Palestine Protectorate|Palestinian Protectorate]]) and refugee camps were established. InDuring the [[Suez Crisis|1956 war]] involving Israel, Britain, France, and Egypt, 111 peoplePalestinians, including 103 refugees, were killed by troops of the Israeli[[Israel armyDefence Force]] in the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah, during the [[1956 Rafah massacre]]. The United Nations was unable to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6558F61D3DB6BD4505256593006B06BE |title=A/3212/Add.1 of 15 December 1956 |access-date=2013-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104160006/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6558F61D3DB6BD4505256593006B06BE |archive-date=2013-11-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/place.php?plid=210|title=Rafah (articles/books/maps/cartoons/photographs/video or audio clips)|website=cosmos.ucc.ie|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012103645/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/place.php?plid=210|url-status=dead}}</ref>▼
During the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], Israeli forces captured Rafah as part of their invasion of the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and [[Gaza Strip]]. The population was about 55,000, of whom only 11,000 lived in Rafah itself. On Friday, 9 June 1967, the Israeli armymilitary bulldozed & blew up 144 houses in Rafah refugee camp, killing 23 inhabitantsPalestinians.<ref name="HC">[[Henry Cattan|Cattan, Henry]] (1969) ''Palestine, The Arabs & Israel. The Search for Justice.'' [[Longman]] SBN 582 78000 4 p. 111</ref>▼
▲In the [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 statistics]] Rafah had a population of 2,220, all Muslims,<ref name=1945p12>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p32.jpg 32]</ref> with 40,579 [[dunam]]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref name=Hadawi46>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Gaza/Page-046.jpg 46]</ref> Of this, 275 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 24,173 used for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Gaza/Page-088.jpg 88]</ref> while 16,131 dunams were un-cultivable land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Gaza/Page-138.jpg 138]</ref>
===1948–1967 After 1967 ===
In the summer of 1971, the IDF, under General [[Ariel Sharon]] (then head of the [[Israeli Southern Command|IDF southern command]]), destroyed approximately 500 houses in the refugee camps of Rafah in order to create patrol roads for Israeli forces. These demolitions displaced nearly 4,000 people.<ref>[http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/858c88eb973847f4802564b5003d1083!OpenDocument UN Doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212181417/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/858c88eb973847f4802564b5003d1083%21OpenDocument |date=2007-02-12 }} A/8389 of 5 October 1971 (h) The continued transfer of the population of the occupied territories to other areas within the occupied territories. Such transfers of population have occurred in the case of several villages that were systematically destroyed in 1967: the population of these villages was either expelled or forced to live elsewhere in the occupied territories. The same practice has been followed in occupied Jerusalem. According to a report in the [[Jerusalem Post]] of 17 May 1971, Mr. [[Teddy Kollek]], Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem, stated that 4,000 Arabs had been evacuated from Jerusalem. Likewise, in the case of Gaza, according to reports appearing in several newspapers and in letters addressed by Governments, several thousands of persons were displaced from the three major refugee camps in Gaza. Official Israeli sources have stated that these transfers of population were necessitated by new security measures, such as the construction of wider roads inside the camps in order to facilitate patrolling and the maintenance of law and order in the camps. Most of the persons whose refugee accommodation was destroyed to permit of the construction of these roads were forced to leave for the West Bank and El Arish, while a few were said to have sought refuge with other families inside Gaza. The Special Committee considers that the transfers were unwarranted and that even if the construction of new roads was considered indispensable for the maintenance of law and order, the arbitrary transfer of population was unnecessary, unjustified and in breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.</ref> Israel established the Brazil and Canada [[housing project]]s to accommodate [[Palestinian refugee|displaced Palestinians]] and to provide better conditions in the hopes of integrating the refugees into the general population and its standard of living;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaml.org/publications/monos/mono4.htm |title=Publications |access-date=2007-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060914074542/http://www.shaml.org/publications/monos/mono4.htm |archive-date=2006-09-14 }}</ref> Brazil is immediately south of Rafah, while Canada was just across the border in Sinai. Both were named because [[UN]] peacekeeping troops from those respective countries had maintained barracks in those locations. After the 1978 [[Camp David Accords]] mandated the repatriation of Canada project refugees to the Gaza Strip, the Tel al-Sultan project, northwest of Rafah, was built to accommodate them.<ref>Human Rights Watch. [http://hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/5.htm Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip]. October 2004.</ref>▼
[[File:14_-_Destroyed_mosque.jpg|thumb|right|Mosque in Rafah, destroyed during the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]] by Israeli bombing ]]
▲After the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], Egypt governed the area (see [[All-Palestine Protectorate|Palestinian Protectorate]]) and refugee camps were established. In the [[Suez Crisis|1956 war]] involving Israel, Britain, France, and Egypt, 111 people, including 103 refugees, were killed by the Israeli army in the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah, during the [[Rafah massacre]]. The United Nations was unable to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6558F61D3DB6BD4505256593006B06BE |title=A/3212/Add.1 of 15 December 1956 |access-date=2013-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104160006/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6558F61D3DB6BD4505256593006B06BE |archive-date=2013-11-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/place.php?plid=210|title=Rafah (articles/books/maps/cartoons/photographs/video or audio clips)|website=cosmos.ucc.ie|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012103645/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/place.php?plid=210|url-status=dead}}</ref>
During the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], the [[Israel Defense Forces]] captured Rafah with the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and [[Gaza Strip]]. The population was about 55,000, of whom only 11,000 lived in Rafah itself.
▲On Friday, 9 June 1967, the Israeli army bulldozed & blew up 144 houses in Rafah refugee camp killing 23 inhabitants.<ref>[[Henry Cattan|Cattan, Henry]] (1969) ''Palestine, The Arabs & Israel. The Search for Justice.'' [[Longman]] SBN 582 78000 4 p. 111</ref>
===After 1967===
▲In the summer of 1971, the IDF, under General [[Ariel Sharon]] (then head of the [[Israeli Southern Command|IDF southern command]]), destroyed approximately 500 houses in the refugee camps of Rafah in order to create patrol roads for Israeli forces. These demolitions displaced nearly 4,000 people.<ref>[http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/858c88eb973847f4802564b5003d1083!OpenDocument UN Doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212181417/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/858c88eb973847f4802564b5003d1083%21OpenDocument |date=2007-02-12 }} A/8389 of 5 October 1971 (h) The continued transfer of the population of the occupied territories to other areas within the occupied territories. Such transfers of population have occurred in the case of several villages that were systematically destroyed in 1967: the population of these villages was either expelled or forced to live elsewhere in the occupied territories. The same practice has been followed in occupied Jerusalem. According to a report in the [[Jerusalem Post]] of 17 May 1971, Mr. [[Teddy Kollek]], Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem, stated that 4,000 Arabs had been evacuated from Jerusalem. Likewise, in the case of Gaza, according to reports appearing in several newspapers and in letters addressed by Governments, several thousands of persons were displaced from the three major refugee camps in Gaza. Official Israeli sources have stated that these transfers of population were necessitated by new security measures, such as the construction of wider roads inside the camps in order to facilitate patrolling and the maintenance of law and order in the camps. Most of the persons whose refugee accommodation was destroyed to permit of the construction of these roads were forced to leave for the West Bank and El Arish, while a few were said to have sought refuge with other families inside Gaza. The Special Committee considers that the transfers were unwarranted and that even if the construction of new roads was considered indispensable for the maintenance of law and order, the arbitrary transfer of population was unnecessary, unjustified and in breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.</ref> Israel established the Brazil and Canada [[housing project]]s to accommodate [[Palestinian refugee|displaced Palestinians]] and to provide better conditions in the hopes of integrating the refugees into the general population and its standard of living;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaml.org/publications/monos/mono4.htm |title=Publications |access-date=2007-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060914074542/http://www.shaml.org/publications/monos/mono4.htm |archive-date=2006-09-14 }}</ref> Brazil is immediately south of Rafah, while Canada was just across the border in Sinai. Both were named because [[UN]] peacekeeping troops from those respective countries had maintained barracks in those locations. After the 1978 [[Camp David Accords]] mandated the repatriation of Canada project refugees to the Gaza Strip, the Tel al-Sultan project, northwest of Rafah, was built to accommodate them.<ref>Human Rights Watch. [http://hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/5.htm Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip]. October 2004.</ref>
[[File:15 - Children (3158621521).jpg|thumb|Palestinians after an Israeli airstrike on the [[Rafah Camp|Rafah refugee camp]] during the [[Gaza War (2008–2009)]]]]
During the early months of [[First Intifada]] on 25 April 1989 Rafah resident Khaled Musa Armilat, aged 22, was shot dead by [[Israeli army|Israeli soldiers]] in [[Khan Yunis]]. In a letter to a Member of [[Knesset]], March 1990, Defence Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]] stated that the dead man's brother had been interrogated and stated that he had been killed by [[Israel Border Police|Border Police]] but four months later he blamed the [[Israeli army|army]]. Rabin added the matter was being investigated by the [[Israeli Police]].<ref>Talmor, Ronny (translated by Ralph Mandel) (1990) ''The Use of Firearms -– By the Security Forces in the Occupied Territories.'' [[B'Tselem]]. [https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files2/publication/199007_use_of_firearms_eng.doc download] p. 75 MK [[Yair Tsaban]] to defence ministers [[Yitzhak Rabin]] & [[Yitzhak Shamir]], p.80 Rabin's reply</ref>
Three and a half weeks after Armilat's killing, 19 May, five civilians including a 50-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy, were killed in Rafah by Israeli soldiers using [[plastic bullets]]. Two of the 12 other casualties later died of their wounds.<ref>B'Tselem information sheet update, June 1989. p.4. [https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files2/update_june_1.1989.pdf pdf]</ref>
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=== 2023–2024 War in Gaza ===
{{mainMain|Rafah offensive}}
During the Israeli Defence Forces' (IDF) war on Gaza, civilians were told to flee to Rafah and [[Gaza Strip evacuations|forcibly displaced from their homes]]. Although the Israeli government declared the southern half of Gaza a safe zone, the IDF proceeded to bomb the region extensively, with a ''[[New York Times]]'' investigation estimating that 2,000-pound bombs were dropped at least 200 times as of 21 December 21, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |lastlast1=Stein |firstfirst1=Robin |last2=Willis |first2=Haley |last3=Jhaveri |first3=Ishaan |last4=Miller |first4=Danielle |last5=Byrd |first5=Aaron |last6=Reneau |first6=Natalie |date=2023-12-22 |title=A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’sIsrael's Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html |access-date=2024-02-09 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By February of 2024, roughly two-thirds of Gaza's population, or 1.4 million people, had been forcibly displaced from other parts of the territory into Rafah, with the IDF declaring its intent to enter the city. Critics have warned about the potential for [[Casualties of the Israel–Hamas war|mass civilian casualties]] in the event of a [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|ground invasion]], with the [[Secretary-general of the United Nations|UN secretary general]] Antonio[[António Guterres]] arguing that ''"Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences."<ref>{{Cite web |title=UN chief warns of 'age of chaos' as Security Council divided on Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/7/un-chief-warns-of-age-of-chaos-as-security-council-stays-divided-on-gaza |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Al Jazeera}}</ref>'' On 9 February, [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] ordered the IDF to create aan evacuation plan to remove civilians before launching an offensive against Rafah which is the last major population center in the Gaza Strip still under Hamas control and the elimination of Hamas was considered to be impossible as long as the four Hamas battalions in Rafah are intact.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tal |first1=Amir |last2=Krever |first2=Mick |date=9 February 2024 |title=Netanyahu directs Israeli military to draw up plan to evacuate more than one million people from Rafah as offensive looms |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/09/middleeast/israel-rafah-evacuation-gaza-intl/index.html |access-date=9 February 2024 |work=CNN}}</ref> The IDF has yet to make clear how exactly it will protect the more than 1 million civilians sheltered there.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=‘We’re going to do it’: Israeli PM set on invasion of Rafah |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/israel-working-on-rafah-invasion-in-gaza-despite-international-alarm |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> Prior to the start of the ground invasion, Israel began to intensify its strikes on Rafah from the air. More than 44 people were killed in airstrikes on Rafah on February 11 February, with many likely still under the rubble. Netanyahu continued to push for a ground invasion, claiming that "We're going to do it....Victory is within reach".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-10 |title=Gaza mediators and others warn Israel of disaster if it launches a ground invasion on crowded Rafah |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gaza-mediators-and-others-warn-israel-of-disaster-if-it-launches-a-ground-invasion-on-crowded-rafah-1.6763825 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Netanyahu ahead of Rafah ground invasion: 'Victory is within reach' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/netanyahu-this-week-interview/story?id=107130717 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title='We're going to do it': Israeli PM set on invasion of Rafah |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/israel-working-on-rafah-invasion-in-gaza-despite-international-alarm |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
On 11 February, the''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that Egypt had warned Hamas to release hostages within two weeks or face an IDF invasion of Rafah.<ref>{{cite news |title=Egypt tells Hamas it has two weeks to reach hostage deal before IDF moves into Rafah – WSJ |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/egypt-tells-hamas-it-has-two-weeks-to-reach-hostage-deal-before-idf-moves-into-rafah-wsj/ |access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Peled |first1=Anat |last2=Abdel-Baqui |first2=Omar |last3=Said |first3=Summer |title=Invasion of Gaza Border City Looms as Biden Calls Israel’sIsrael's Offensive ‘Over'Over the Top’Top' |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/threat-of-israeli-offensive-hangs-over-packed-gaza-border-city-as-u-s-warns-of-disaster-53c801b4 |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=WSJ}}</ref> A joint operation in Rafah by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police recovered two hostages (Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har) kidnapped by Hamas from [[Nir Yitzhak]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel rescues two hostages in Rafah amid deadly strikes |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68271340 |access-date=12 February 2024 |date=12 February 2024}}</ref> During this operation, heavy bombardment by the IDF occurred in the area that includes many refugee camps killing 112 people with several bodies still under the rubble.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-11 |title=Israeli strikes hit Rafah after Biden warns Netanyahu to have 'credible' plan to protect civilians |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/israeli-strikes-hit-rafah-after-biden-warns-netanyahu-to-have-credible-plan-to-protect-civilians-1.6764414 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref>
== Rafah Border Crossing ==
[[File:Border between Israel and Egypt visible from space.jpg|thumbnail|The city of Rafah lies on the border of Egypt and the Gaza Strip]]
Rafah is the site of the [[Rafah Border Crossing]], the sole crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Formerly operated by Israeli military forces, control of the crossing was transferred to the [[Palestinian Authority]] in September 2005 as part of the larger [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|Israeli withdrawal]] from the Gaza Strip. A [[European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah|European Union commission began monitoring]] the crossing in November 2005 amid Israeli security concerns, and in April 2006, Palestinian Authority chairman [[Mahmoud Abbas]]'s [[Palestinian Presidential Guard|Presidential Guard]] assumed responsibility for the site on the Palestinian Authority side.<ref>Mitch Potter, Something that works: the Rafah crossing, ''The Toronto Star'', 21 May 2006.</ref> On the Egyptian side, the responsibility is assumed by the 750 Border Guards as per the agreement signed by Egypt and Israel in November 2005.
== Climate ==
[[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system]] classifies its climate as [[hot semi-arid climate|hot semi-arid]] (BSh).<ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafiah">{{Cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/478554/ |title=Climate: Rafiah – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=2014-02-21 }}</ref><ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafah">{{Cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/3958/ |title=Climate: Rafah – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=2014-02-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223185030/http://en.climate-data.org/location/3958/ |archive-date=2014-02-23 }}</ref>
Line 163 ⟶ 158:
|Nov high C=23.8
|Dec high C=19.4
|Jan mean C=12.9
|Feb mean C=13.6
Line 176 ⟶ 170:
|Nov mean C=18.7
|Dec mean C=14.8
|Jan low C=8.4
|Feb low C=9.1
Line 189 ⟶ 182:
|Nov low C=13.7
|Dec low C=10.2
|Jan precipitation mm=48
|Feb precipitation mm=36
Line 202 ⟶ 194:
|Nov precipitation mm=39
|Dec precipitation mm=53
|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org'' (altitude: 45m45 m)<ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafiah" />▼
▲|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org'' (altitude: 45m)<ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafiah"/>
}}
Line 224 ⟶ 215:
|Nov high C=23.7
|Dec high C=19.3
|Jan mean C=12.7
|Feb mean C=13.5
Line 237 ⟶ 227:
|Nov mean C=18.6
|Dec mean C=14.7
|Jan low C=8.2
|Feb low C=9
Line 250 ⟶ 239:
|Nov low C=13.5
|Dec low C=10.1
|Jan precipitation mm=49
|Feb precipitation mm=37
Line 263 ⟶ 251:
|Nov precipitation mm=39
|Dec precipitation mm=54
|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org'' (altitude: 78m78 m)<ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafah" />▼
▲|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org'' (altitude: 78m)<ref name="Climate-Data.org Rafah"/>
}}
== See also ==
{{Portal|Palestine}}
*[[Rafah Governorate]]▼
*[[Rafah, Egypt]]
*[[Israel–Gaza barrier]]▼
*[[Gaza–Egypt border]]
*[[European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah]]
*[[Erez Crossing]]
▲*[[Israel–Gaza barrier]]
*[[Philadelphi Corridor]]
*[[Rafah Elementary Co-Ed "B" School]]
▲*[[Rafah Governorate]]
*[[Asma al-Ghul]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=The Caravan Route between Egypt and Syria|first = Ludwig Salvator | last=Archduke of Austria|url=https://archive.org/details/caravanroutebetw00ludwrich |author-link=Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria|year=1881|publisher =[[Chatto & Windus]]|location=London}}
*{{cite book | editor =Barron, J. B. | title = Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922 |url=https://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 |publisher = Government of Palestine | year = 1923}}
*{{cite book | last= Dauphin |first = C.|author-link= Claudine Dauphin | title = La Palestine byzantine, Peuplement et Populations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FC1mAAAAMAAJ |volume = III : Catalogue | series = BAR International Series 726 | year = 1998 | publisher = Archeopress | location = Oxford|language =fr|isbn= 0-86054986054-05905-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Dwyer|first=Philip|title=Napoleon -The Path To Power 1769-17991769–1799 |year=2007|publisher= Bloomsbury |isbn =978-07475749030-7475-7490-3}}
*{{cite book|title=Village Statistics, April, 1945 |url=http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nli/Hebrew/library/Pages/BookReader.aspx?pid=856390|author=Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics|year=1945}}
*{{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongog02gu|volume=1: Judee, pt. 2|year=1869|publisher= L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=fr}}
Line 298 ⟶ 282:
{{refend}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.un.org/unrwa/refugees/gaza/rafah.html United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]
*[http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Rafah_1500/index.html Welcome To The City of Rafah]
Line 309 ⟶ 293:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050929001313/http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/Rafah_insetA.pdf Part A] [https://web.archive.org/web/20050929001235/http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/Rafah_insetB.pdf Part B] Satellite photos comparing 2001 to 2004.
* [https://www.hrw.org/campaigns/gaza Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip] – Human Rights Watch
* [http://orscp.org/ The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project] – The organization started by people in the communities of Rafah, Gaza, and Olympia, WA
* [http://madisonrafah.org/ The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project] – A sistering project connecting the communities of Rafah, Gaza, and Madison, WI
{{Cities in the Gaza Strip}}