Rafah crossing

About Rafah crossing

• The crossing is at the south of the Gaza Strip, a narrow slither of land that is home to 2.3 million people.
• It is wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
• The crossing is controlled by Egypt.
• It is the only likely route for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via Rafah from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula region.
• There are only two other border crossings: Erez, a border crossing with Israel in north Gaza, and Kerem Shalom, a commercial crossing between Israel and Southern Gaza.

Key facts about Sinai Peninsula

• It is a triangle-shaped peninsula located in northeastern Egypt.
• It serves as a land bridge connecting Asia and Africa.
• Boundaries:
  • It is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean Sea and to the east by Israel and the Gaza Strip. 
  • To the west of the Sinai Peninsula is the Suez Canal, across which lies the African part of Egypt. 
  • It is bordered to the southwest by the Gulf of Suez and to the immediate south by the Red Sea. 
  • The Gulf of Aqaba borders the Sinai in the southeast.
  • Egypt shares maritime borders in the Sinai with Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Q1) What is the Gulf of Aqaba?

The Gulf of Aqaba, also known as the Gulf of Eilat, is a narrow, northeastern extension of the Red Sea located between the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt to the west and the Arabian Peninsula to the east. It is bordered by four countries: Egypt and Israel on the west side and Jordan and Saudi Arabia on the east side.

Source: What is the Rafah border crossing, and why is it closed?

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