At an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on January 27, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas mentioned the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and discussed the EU’s potential role there.
Kallas is the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission. She has been involved in a number of key issues recently, from Syria to Gaza.
“Everyone agrees that EUBAM Rafah can play a decisive role in supporting the ceasefire,” Kallas wrote on social media on January 27. “Today, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to redeploy it to the Rafah Crossing Point between Gaza and Egypt. This will allow a number of injured individuals to leave Gaza and receive medical care.”
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah was established in 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza during the Disengagement. Although the mission attempted to carry out its work after 2005, it was hampered by the chaos in Gaza. It suspended activities in the summer of 2007. It had to leave Rafah eventually after the Hamas takeover. Now it may be redeploying.
“At the request of Israel and the Palestinians and with the agreement of Egypt, EUBAM Rafah is redeploying at the Rafah Crossing Point in Gaza. In the coming days, EUBAM Rafah will deploy a specialised team to the Rafah Crossing Point to allow Palestinian personnel to reopen the RCP,” EUBAM recently said. “This will allow for the transfer of injured individuals out of Gaza for medical treatment. EUBAM Rafah personnel will monitor the transfers.”
The Rafah crossing is a tense and delicate issue. The IDF moved into the crossing in May when Israel launched an offensive into Rafah. This came after months in which Israel said it would operate in Rafah.
Hamas launched attacks on Israel from near the crossing. When the IDF moved into the area, the crossing was closed. The PA recently said it would play a role at the crossing as well. The Prime Minister’s Office denied these reports.
Tense and delicate issue
At an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on January 27, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas mentioned the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and discussed the EU’s potential role there.
Kallas is the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission. She has been involved in a number of key issues recently, from Syria to Gaza.
“Everyone agrees that EUBAM Rafah can play a decisive role in supporting the ceasefire,” Kallas wrote on social media on January 27. “Today, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to redeploy it to the Rafah Crossing Point between Gaza and Egypt. This will allow a number of injured individuals to leave Gaza and receive medical care.”
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah was established in 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza during the Disengagement. Although the mission attempted to carry out its work after 2005, it was hampered by the chaos in Gaza. It suspended activities in the summer of 2007. It had to leave Rafah eventually after the Hamas takeover. Now it may be redeploying.
“At the request of Israel and the Palestinians and with the agreement of Egypt, EUBAM Rafah is redeploying at the Rafah Crossing Point in Gaza. In the coming days, EUBAM Rafah will deploy a specialised team to the Rafah Crossing Point to allow Palestinian personnel to reopen the RCP,” EUBAM recently said. “This will allow for the transfer of injured individuals out of Gaza for medical treatment. EUBAM Rafah personnel will monitor the transfers.”
The Rafah crossing is a tense and delicate issue. The IDF moved into the crossing in May when Israel launched an offensive into Rafah. This came after months in which Israel said it would operate in Rafah.
Hamas launched attacks on Israel from near the crossing. When the IDF moved into the area, the crossing was closed. The PA recently said it would play a role at the crossing as well. The Prime Minister’s Office denied these reports.