MEMPHIS REISEN

Letter from Mideast: Reopening of Rafah crossing offers fragile hope to Gazans

In the 15 months covering the war in Gaza from my office in Cairo, the Rafah crossing is the farthest point I can go since the Israeli authorities do not allow international reporters into Gaza. The crossing reveals, to some extent, the weight of the crisis in the strip.

On Sunday, a 10-hour bus journey took me from Cairo to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing — the very day the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Under the ceasefire terms, the crossing, which connects Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to southern Gaza, was to be reopened.

When I arrived, trucks loaded with relief supplies were already trickling through the crossing. I rushed to catch up with Mohammed Basyouni, a 60-year-old driver from Egypt’s Port Said, whose truck was the last in a long line of relief vehicles.

Since July 2024, his truck has also been his makeshift home. He has not seen his family for the past seven months.

“I’m thrilled that these supplies are still edible and that I can deliver them to our brothers and sisters in Gaza,” he said with palpable excitement.

Hundreds of drivers, like Basyouni, have waited for months for this moment to come. The unfolding scene stirred memories of the crossing’s closure in May. Back then I saw trucks laden with desperately needed supplies stretch into a kilometers-long queue, with their drivers idling in the searing heat — a picture of despair.

In the months that followed, thousands more Palestinians lost their lives, the war in Gaza spilled over into new fronts, Israel unleashed heavy strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran traded direct attacks with Israel, and a lightning offensive by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham brought down the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

After months of Israeli strikes and siege, critical supply shortages, severe access restrictions and violent armed looting are contributing to a hunger crisis across the Gaza Strip, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said early in January.

Much has changed in these turbulent months, yet the drivers remained, patiently waiting for their turn to cross into Gaza.

As aid trucks began to file through the crossing, reporters gathered to record the scene. For the 2 million Palestinians on the other side, the trucks meant a chance of survival.

Since my return from Rafah, I have learned that hundreds of aid trucks have crossed into Gaza through the crossing over the past few days, bringing much-needed relief to Gazans.

On Monday, an Egyptian colleague of mine, who also holds Palestinian citizenship, shared a glimpse of the fragile relief felt in Gaza. His friend, Mohammed Tawfiq, now living in a tent in Rafah, spoke of a reprieve brought by the ceasefire agreement.

For Tawfiq’s family, survival over the past 15 months has been a relentless struggle. Forced to reduce to one single meal a day for months, they endured severe weight loss and malnutrition. The bitter winter has further exposed their vulnerability, as their makeshift tent offers little protection from the freezing temperatures. The children, shivering through the nights, have suffered repeated colds.

Following the reopening of the Rafah crossing, aid has started to come in, according to Tawfiq. For the first time in over a year, he feels somewhat safe — though he fears this fragile hope may soon fade.

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