Rafah border crossing: could Egypt open it to fleeing Palestinians?

A Palestinian man waits at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Photograph: APAImages/Shutterstock

What is the Rafah border crossing?

For most of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Rafah border crossing represents their only potential exit, and the territory’s sole remaining lifeline to the outside world. Egypt controls the crossing under a 2007 agreement with Israel, but supplies coming into Gaza through Rafah require Israeli approval.