Rafah has become the most densely populated area in the world in recent months. About a million refugees displaced from the northern and central parts of Gaza, have arrived there seeking shelter over only about 151 square kilometers. This is in addition to the 300,000 residents living there before the war.
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Rafah's border crossing has served as a central gateway for humanitarian aid entering the Strip since the beginning of the war.
The city is divided into Palestinian and Egyptian parts and is considered relatively safe for the Gazans. However, even here, targeted airstrikes have been carried out. The city offers covert access to Egypt and according to an investigative report in the UKs Guardian newspaper, the cost of smuggling people out from Gaza to Egypt currently stands at $11,000 per person.
The 14-kilometer (9-mile) stretch along the border dubbed the Philadelphi Route, has become a point of contention between Israel and Egypt since the war. Israel insists it must maintain control of the area which it believes is the source of much of the weapons and military equipment smuggled into the Strip by Hamas and may be used by its leaders to escape the Strip and move hostages to other locations around the world. Egypt rejects such an option, saying it would violate agreements between the two nations and threaten their long-years peace agreement.
Ahmad al-Sofi, the mayor of Rafah, said that the municipality has lost control over basic services, including waste collection, sewage treatment, and garbage disposal, due to the large number of refugees and the ongoing conflict. The UNRWA general commissioner, who recently visited the Gaza Strip, also warned that Rafah's population has nearly quadrupled.
In an article in the French newspaper "Le Monde," a Gazan family was documented on their journey from Jabaliya in the northern part of the Strip to Rafah in the south, covering about 40 kilometers. The family, of mother, father, and seven children, described that they had no escape from the bombardments. Mohammad Oraibi, the father, said, "We don't know if we'll live tomorrow." According to him, even attempts to flee to Rafah were met with bombings.