Rafah

Rafah ( , ) is a largely destroyed and depopulated city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, that serves as the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza City and Khan Yunis, about 70% of Gaza's population, were displaced to Rafah, as of February 2024. By April 2025, most of the city had been destroyed by Israeli forces and fell under Israeli control. After the 1948 Palestine war, Egypt governed the area and refugee camps for displaced Palestinians who fled or were expelled from what became Israel were established. During the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed 111 Palestinians, including 103 refugees in the Rafah refugee camp, during the 1956 Rafah massacre. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli forces re-occupied the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip after capturing them from Egypt. In the same year, IDF troops bulldozed and demolished 144 houses in the Rafah refugee camp, killing 23 Palestinians. When Israel fully withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an Egyptian part, separated by barbed-wire barriers. Then, since 2000, the core of the city was destroyed by Israel, and since the 2010s also by Egypt, in order to create a large buffer zone.…

Rafah ( , ) is a largely destroyed and depopulated city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, that serves as the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza City and Khan Yunis, about 70% of Gaza's population, were displaced to Rafah, as of February 2024. By April 2025, most of the city had been destroyed by Israeli forces and fell under Israeli control. After the 1948 Palestine war, Egypt governed the area and refugee camps for displaced Palestinians who fled or were expelled from what became Israel were established. During the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed 111 Palestinians, including 103 refugees in the Rafah refugee camp, during the 1956 Rafah massacre. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli forces re-occupied the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip after capturing them from Egypt. In the same year, IDF troops bulldozed and demolished 144 houses in the Rafah refugee camp, killing 23 Palestinians. When Israel fully withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an Egyptian part, separated by barbed-wire barriers. Then, since 2000, the core of the city was destroyed by Israel, and since the 2010s also by Egypt, 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, Yasser Arafat International Airport, was located just south of the city. The airport operated from 1998 to 2001, when it was destroyed by Israeli forces.

Late Bronze Age

Rafah has a history stretching back thousands of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I, from 1303 BCE as Raphia (Rph).

Iron Age

It was the first stop on Pharaoh Shoshenq I's campaign to the Levant in 925 BCE. In 720 BCE it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians.

Classical Age

Medieval Age

In September 2005, Israel withdrew its settlers and ground troops from the Gaza Strip but retained control of the skies, and land and sea borders. Moreover, Rafah remained divided, with part of it on the Egyptian side of the border under Egyptian rule. It has been claimed that it was in order to cope with the division of the town, that smugglers have made tunnels under the border, connecting the two parts and permitting the smuggling of goods and persons. File:Photos showing aftermath of bombing in Rafah early on Tues 30th Dec (3156791604).jpg File:Cast Lead Mosque.jpg File:Orphanschoolmosque.jpg Interview with Hip Hop Artist Michael Franti – Reporting from Rafah. Part A Part B Satellite photos comparing 2001 to 2004. Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip – Human Rights Watch The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project – The organization started by people in the communities of Rafah, Gaza, and Olympia, WA The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project – A sistering project connecting the communities of Rafah, Gaza, and Madison, WI

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377674531 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.