Egypt at the Rafah Border and the Prospects for Gaza

The report analyzes the views of 55 Egyptian stakeholders, including policy makers, political parties, and NGOs, regarding the operation of the Rafah Crossing Point (RCP). It examines the tension between humanitarian needs and security concerns, the impact of the tunnel economy, and the role of international agreements like the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA). The findings highlight a fragmented Egyptian approach, where security agencies prioritize countering smuggling and militant infiltration, while political groups like the Muslim Brotherhood advocate for normalized relations with Hamas. The report concludes that a functioning border depends on resolving the Israeli blockade and establishing a unified Palestinian government.

• Egypt's overarching position is to operate the Rafah Crossing Point (RCP) on an exceptional, humanitarian basis rather than through a formal legal agreement, due to the absence of a ratified arrangement between international stakeholders and Egypt's view that Hamas's governance of Gaza was unlawfully grounded.
• Egyptian security authorities identify the tunnel industry as a direct threat to national interests, fearing the transfer of weapons and the infiltration of militant actors from Gaza, which they link to regional interests of Iran and Hezbollah.
• To combat the tunnel economy, Egypt constructed an underground steel barrier in 2009 that runs for 10 kilometers westwards from the Rafah terminal, extending 18 meters deep and 5 centimeters thick, though some authorities view it as impractical.
• There is a significant divide among Egyptian political stakeholders regarding the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA); while state authorities view it as a useful framework, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party reject it as 'unjust' and advocate for an exclusively Egyptian-Palestinian bilateral agreement.
• Egyptian authorities oppose transforming the RCP into a commercial trade corridor, maintaining it should remain a passenger-only terminal to avoid assuming administrative responsibility for Gaza and to pressure Hamas to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
• Bedouin populations in the Rafah borderland are heavily involved in the tunnel industry, viewing it not as criminal activity but as a customary economic necessity due to the lack of waged-labor and educational opportunities in the underdeveloped region.
• Egypt and the European Union (EU) both support the freedom of movement for Palestinians, but Egypt resists formal cooperation with the EU BAM Rafah on the Egyptian side of the border to protect its national sovereignty.
• Israeli authorities oppose Egyptian efforts to increase military presence in the Sinai Peninsula (Zone C) to secure the border, fearing that amending the demilitarization protocols of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty could lead to increased hostilities.

APA

Peoples, F. M. (2012). Egypt at the Rafah Border and the Prospects for Gaza. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/180ce5dd-e0b2-4c71-8112-38a2b77e3d8b/Mareah-Peoples-Egypt-at-the-Rafah-Border-PRIO-Paper-2012.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Peoples, F. Mareah. Egypt at the Rafah Border and the Prospects for Gaza. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2012. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/180ce5dd-e0b2-4c71-8112-38a2b77e3d8b/Mareah-Peoples-Egypt-at-the-Rafah-Border-PRIO-Paper-2012.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Peoples |first1=F. Mareah |title=Egypt at the Rafah Border and the Prospects for Gaza |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=1 February 2012 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/180ce5dd-e0b2-4c71-8112-38a2b77e3d8b/Mareah-Peoples-Egypt-at-the-Rafah-Border-PRIO-Paper-2012.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peoples2012egypt, author = {Peoples, F. Mareah}, title = {{Egypt at the Rafah Border and the Prospects for Gaza}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2012}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/180ce5dd-e0b2-4c71-8112-38a2b77e3d8b/Mareah-Peoples-Egypt-at-the-Rafah-Border-PRIO-Paper-2012.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }