Rafah Crossing: False American Understandings and Israeli Conditions to Sustain the Siege and Starve Gaza

It should be clear that Israeli threats against Gaza will not stop regardless of any "ceasefire agreement." Genocide has become the daily reality, and the colonial racist settlement occupation sees the continuation of suffering and siege as the new old normal. This reality must be viewed and addressed as a product of a systematic policy because we are facing a society of perpetrators of genocide, not just a passing political opponent.

The Rafah crossing is no longer just a border crossing point; it has become a blatant mirror of the nature of the political partnership between Israel and the United States in managing the war on Gaza, not only in its military dimension but in its human, political, and economic essence. The issue is no longer about technical procedures or security arrangements, but about a policy based on producing promises and obstructing them, marketing "understandings," while the siege is effectively managed as a tool of collective punishment.

According to what was revealed by Israeli army radio, Israel and the United States reached a preliminary understanding last week to open the Rafah crossing in both directions. However, this understanding, like previous ones, has not gone beyond the realm of media statements, as Israel hurried to saturate it with a series of conditions and restrictions and renewed "security" justifications, while preparing to hold a meeting of the cabinet (the security cabinet) to "determine the fate" of the crossing. This reflects the mentality of the occupation that sees crossings as tools for control and extortion, not as lifelines for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

This scene cannot be separated from the American role, which has not been a mediator or guarantor, but a complete political partner. The United States limits itself to producing vague understandings that are later used to whitewash the image of the occupation before international public opinion, without any mechanisms for enforcement or real pressure. Thus, the "American understandings" turn into a political cover for deliberate Israeli obstruction, while the essence remains the same: keeping Gaza under siege and managing the disaster rather than ending it.

More dangerously, the collusion extends to the post-war phase, where there is promotion for the start of a "second phase," and promises for reconstruction are made, drawing new maps for Gaza under humanitarian and developmental slogans. However, these promises are presented completely apart from people's rights, their right to land, and their right to shape their cities and future.

What is marketed as a reconstruction project gradually reveals itself as a political-economic scheme, where land ownership is confiscated under justifications of "regulation," "security," and "modern planning," and reconstruction is carried out according to investment priorities that serve American economic interests and those of its partners, not the needs of the devastated residents of Gaza. Thus, genocide and destruction turn into an economic opportunity, and the siege is complemented by plans to rearrange space and people, in one of the most dangerous forms of contemporary colonialism.

In light of these joint policies, the humanitarian catastrophe explodes within the city of Gaza, where the city is suffering from a severe water crisis with interruptions for the eighth consecutive day. According to the Gaza municipality, more than 85% of the city’s area does not receive water, putting hundreds of thousands of civilians at direct health risk, affirming that cutting off essential services is not a side effect of the war, but part of a systematic strangulation strategy.

Simultaneously with this catastrophic reality, statements from Dr. Ali Shaat, head of the National Committee for Gaza Management, proliferate regarding the introduction of housing caravans, opening crossings, and improving humanitarian conditions. Although these statements carry a reassuring tone, they collide with the wall of Israeli restrictions supported by the U.S., and the absence of any real guarantees for implementation. Thus, promises turn into tools to buy time and absorb anger, while the people of Gaza are left to face thirst, hunger, and the collapse of essential services.

In conclusion, what is happening at the Rafah crossing is not a failure in coordination, but a success for a joint policy that aims to keep Gaza in a state of perpetual asphyxiation. Israel imposes the conditions, the United States provides the cover, and the international community confines itself to monitoring. The cost is borne solely by the Palestinians: a siege, starvation, land confiscation, and conditional reconstruction imposed outside their will and rights.

Today, the Rafah crossing is not closed by gates alone, but is closed by international political will. Its true opening begins with breaking the partnership of occupation and the American cover, and restoring rights to the people of Gaza before humanity becomes merely a slogan circulated in the media.