The Guardian
Gaza border at Rafah tightly controlled as Egypt remains hostile to Hamas
The
new Egyptian regime is suspicious of political Islam and only 140
injured Gazans have gone to Egyptian hospitals since 8 July
Friday 1 August 2014
Louisa Loveluck
As the death toll in Gaza
passes 1,400, Egyptian hospitals have treated more than a hundred
casualties of an Israeli military campaign drawing an otherwise muted
response from Egypt, as its political establishment weighs humanitarian responsibilities against domestic politics.
Egypt's Rafah border crossing – Gaza's only exit route not controlled by Israel – has opened sporadically since Israel began Operation Protective Edge on 8 July. According to Egypt's health ministry, 140 people have entered the country for treatment since then.
The Egyptian authorities cite security concerns as the reason for repeated closures: Rafah is in Egypt's restive north Sinai region, where the army is attempting to root out al-Qaida-affiliated Islamist militants.
Throughout the Gaza crisis fluorescent ambulances have queued on the Egyptian side of Rafah, waiting to receive the slow stream of patients chosen for evacuation by Gaza's health ministry. At least eight hospitals within the Palestinian enclave have been damaged in the violence, cutting the number of beds by more than 500.
Inside Egypt's hospitals, doctors say they have been shocked at the number of child casualties. "It's more than 20% … the situation is bad," says Dr Sami Anwar, director of the Arish hospital, 50km from Rafah. "One four year-old girl had a panic attack when she awoke – she couldn't see anything or find anyone. She'd been blinded," he says.
Egypt's muted response to the crisis over its border is a contrast to its efforts in the previous round of violence, in 2012, when the former president Mohamed Morsi, a staunch Hamas ally, was central to ceasefire negotiations.
This time, Egypt is part of a coalition of Arab states, including regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, that has aligned itself with Israel, signalling their deep suspicion towards Hamas and political Islam in general.
Egypt remains a central player in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas – it was due to host fresh talks today, but delayed the meetings after the collapse of a freshly announced 72-hour ceasefire – but hostility toward Hamas has resulted in a less flexible political approach to diplomacy, and tight control of aid deliveries through Rafah.
The crossing authority says 130 tonnes of humanitarian aid was transferred to Gaza on 25 and 26 of July, using donations from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Arab doctors' union in Egypt, and a Jordanian donor. An Egyptian military convoy also delivered food and medicine in a crossing the previous week.
But other convoys have been turned away – notably those organised by Cairo-based activists. According to Issandr el-Amrani, International Crisis Group's north Africa project director, the Egyptian government is unlikely to allow aid convoys that may be seen to carry a political message of support for Hamas, or to provide support for the group's call for the border at Rafah to be thrown open. The latter is a central demand of Hamas.
"[Egypt's] official line is pretty clear: we support the Palestinian people, condemn Israel's attacks on civilians and want to facilitate aid, but we blame Hamas for the current situation," says Mr Amrani. "In practice, this policy means that the humanitarian aid is stalled, hostage to Cairo's desire to keep up the pressure on Hamas."
*Additional reporting by Mohamed Ezz
Egypt's Rafah border crossing – Gaza's only exit route not controlled by Israel – has opened sporadically since Israel began Operation Protective Edge on 8 July. According to Egypt's health ministry, 140 people have entered the country for treatment since then.
The Egyptian authorities cite security concerns as the reason for repeated closures: Rafah is in Egypt's restive north Sinai region, where the army is attempting to root out al-Qaida-affiliated Islamist militants.
Throughout the Gaza crisis fluorescent ambulances have queued on the Egyptian side of Rafah, waiting to receive the slow stream of patients chosen for evacuation by Gaza's health ministry. At least eight hospitals within the Palestinian enclave have been damaged in the violence, cutting the number of beds by more than 500.
Inside Egypt's hospitals, doctors say they have been shocked at the number of child casualties. "It's more than 20% … the situation is bad," says Dr Sami Anwar, director of the Arish hospital, 50km from Rafah. "One four year-old girl had a panic attack when she awoke – she couldn't see anything or find anyone. She'd been blinded," he says.
Egypt's muted response to the crisis over its border is a contrast to its efforts in the previous round of violence, in 2012, when the former president Mohamed Morsi, a staunch Hamas ally, was central to ceasefire negotiations.
This time, Egypt is part of a coalition of Arab states, including regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, that has aligned itself with Israel, signalling their deep suspicion towards Hamas and political Islam in general.
Egypt remains a central player in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas – it was due to host fresh talks today, but delayed the meetings after the collapse of a freshly announced 72-hour ceasefire – but hostility toward Hamas has resulted in a less flexible political approach to diplomacy, and tight control of aid deliveries through Rafah.
The crossing authority says 130 tonnes of humanitarian aid was transferred to Gaza on 25 and 26 of July, using donations from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Arab doctors' union in Egypt, and a Jordanian donor. An Egyptian military convoy also delivered food and medicine in a crossing the previous week.
But other convoys have been turned away – notably those organised by Cairo-based activists. According to Issandr el-Amrani, International Crisis Group's north Africa project director, the Egyptian government is unlikely to allow aid convoys that may be seen to carry a political message of support for Hamas, or to provide support for the group's call for the border at Rafah to be thrown open. The latter is a central demand of Hamas.
"[Egypt's] official line is pretty clear: we support the Palestinian people, condemn Israel's attacks on civilians and want to facilitate aid, but we blame Hamas for the current situation," says Mr Amrani. "In practice, this policy means that the humanitarian aid is stalled, hostage to Cairo's desire to keep up the pressure on Hamas."
*Additional reporting by Mohamed Ezz
**Photograph by Nasser Nuri courtesy of Reuters
No comments:
Post a Comment