This article is about the city in the Gaza Strip, in Palestine. For the part of the city in North Sinai, see Rafah, Egypt. For other uses, see Rafah (disambiguation).
Rafah (Arabic: رفحRafaḥ[rafaħ]; Hebrew: רָפִיחַRafiaḥ[ʁaˈfi.aχ]) is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the capital of the Rafah Governorate of the State of Palestine, located 30 kilometers (19 mi) south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889.[4] 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 people are believed to be sheltering in Rafah as of February 2024.[5]
When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an Egyptian part, dividing families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.[6][7] The core of the city was destroyed by Israel,[8][9][10] as well as Egypt,[11][12] in order to create a large 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, 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 Israeli military (IDF).[13][14]
^ ab"PS - Palestine, State of". ISO - Online Browsing Platform. International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
^"Palestinians criticize Hamas' decision to appoint municipal presidents - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". November 2019.
^Al Jazeera Staff. "What's happening in Gaza's Rafah as Israel threatens to attack?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
^ abPreliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
^"Gaza: Israel's military operation in Rafah would be fatal for displaced civilians and humanitarian aid". Norwegian Refugee Council. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^Cite error: The named reference cinderella was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference kliot_1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Razing Rafah — Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip, pp. 27–28 and 52–66 (PDF text version) on [1], Summary:. The report on refworld:. Human Rights Watch (HRW), October 2004
^Supplementary Appeal for Rafah. UNWRA, May 2004
^PCHR, 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 [2]
^Egyptian military doubling buffer zone with Gaza , demolishing nearly 1,220 more homes. Associated Press, 8 January 2015
^Look for Another Homeland. Human Rights Watch, September 2015
^"Grounded in Gaza, but hoping to fly again". NBC News. 19 May 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
^"Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
Rafah (Arabic: رفح Rafaḥ [rafaħ]; Hebrew: רָפִיחַ Rafiaḥ [ʁaˈfi.aχ]) is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the capital of the Rafah...
The Rafah offensive is a planned offensive in the city of Rafah, part of Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip. Israel announced plans to invade the city...
The Rafah Border Crossing (Arabic: معبر رفح, romanized: Ma`bar Rafaḥ) or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine's...
The Battle of Rafah primarily refers to any of the military engagements fought in and around Rafah, today in Gaza, Palestine: Battle of Raphia (720 BCE)...
On 12 February 2024, Israel Defense Forces launched an assault on Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip, killing over 83 people. The airstrikes destroyed at...
The Rafah Governorate (Arabic: محافظة رفح Muḥāfaẓat Rafaḥ) is a Governorate of Palestine in the southernmost portion of the Gaza Strip. Its district capital...
Rafah Camp (Arabic: مخيم رفح or معسكر رفح) is one of eight Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. It is located in the Rafah Governorate along the...
The Rafah massacre occurred on November 12, 1956, during Israel's occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Protectorate following the Suez Crisis. The...
(7 mi) border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah. Khan Yunis is located 7 km (4.3 mi) northeast of Rafah, and several towns around Deir el-Balah are...
The Islamic Emirate of Rafah was a short-lived unrecognized Islamic state located in Rafah. It was founded by Jund Ansar Allah when they declared independence...
spreading in Rafah. By 13 December, the UN estimated half of Gaza's entire population was in Rafah. By 19 December, Israel was attacking areas in Rafah once considered...
Shabab Rafah Sports Club (Arabic: نادي شباب رفح الرياضي) or simply Shabab Rafah is a Palestinian professional football club from the city of Rafah that...
The Rafah Museum was established in December 2022 in the south of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. It was founded by Dr. Laila Shaheen, an academic...
southern Gaza Strip on 12–24 May 2004, involving an invasion and siege of Rafah. The operation was started after the deaths of eleven Israeli soldiers in...
Palestinians in Rafah to migrate to parts of Khan Younis and the central Gaza Strip which would facilitate an Israeli clearing operation into Rafah. Following...
the necessary travel documents) gives it influence over movement through Rafah. Imports are heavily restricted, with "dual use" items permitted only as...
The European Union Border Assistance Mission at the Rafah Crossing Point (EU BAM Rafah) is the EU's second Civilian Crisis Management Mission in the Palestinian...
the Israeli Police) for the rescue of two hostages who were kidnapped to Rafah during the Nir Yitzhak attack on 7 October, 2023. The operation commenced...
announced the establishment of the al-Qaeda inspired Islamic Emirate of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The group criticized the ruling power, Hamas, for failing...
on 3 November 1956 and 111 in Rafah on 12 November 1956. Sacco bases his book on conversations with Palestinians in Rafah and the neighbouring town of...
on 14 December 2006, Haniyeh was denied entry to Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah Border Crossing. The border crossing was closed by order of Israeli Minister...
Global Information
State of Palestine[1]