Hundreds of Gazans protest closure of Rafah crossing

Hundreds of people in the besieged Gaza Strip have joined a protest against the protracted closure of the Rafah border crossing — the enclave’s only land terminal that bypasses Israel — by Egyptian authorities.

The Palestinians gathered in front of the crossing, where they performed Friday prayers and demanded that Egypt reopen the border point.

Over 25,000 patients and students are on a waiting list to use the crossing for medical treatment and to continue their studies abroad, Palestinian officials say.

Closing the Rafah crossing keeps Gaza’s population of over 1.8 million at the mercy of the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in northern Gaza.

Analysts accuse Egypt of acting as Israel’s proxy in maintaining Tel Aviv’s years-long blockade.

“The Egyptian blockade of Gaza is illegal. It is against all kinds of ethics and against the international humanitarian law and it’s a collective punishment,” said political analyst Hani al-Basous.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, which is a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The blockade has also cut off the territory from the outside world and has led to an economic and humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.