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The Rafah Border Crossing
The Story
Some civilians have been able to leave Gaza.
Tell me more.
Yesterday, Egypt opened its Rafah crossing with Gaza — allowing civilians to leave the territory for the first time since the deadly October 7th attacks. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza have been stuck in southern Gaza as they search for refuge from Israeli airstrikes. Some have hoped to leave the strip, with the US saying about 400 US citizens and their families had been stranded. Now, the US and Qatar have negotiated a deal with Israel, Hamas, and Egypt to open the Egypt-Gaza crossing to hundreds of foreign nationals and injured Palestinian civilians — with the first group leaving yesterday.
What took so long?
A couple of things. The US blames Hamas, which runs Gaza, for keeping the crossing closed. Meanwhile, Egypt, which controls the other side of the crossing, has said it would not accept Palestinian refugees. The government has said this is out of concerns that they would not be allowed to return home after the war, like in 1948. But Egypt has also cited economic and security concerns, worried that militants could leave with civilians and that the country wouldn’t have the resources to support refugees. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit the Rafah crossing at the start of the conflict, damaging roads and forcing its closure.
What happens now?
So far, more than 360 foreign citizens have been able to leave as well as more than 70 injured Palestinians. But the agreement isn’t over. The US says thousands of foreign nationals could leave in the coming days — possibly 5,000 people or more. Meanwhile, some Americans remain stranded. President Biden says his administration is “working nonstop” to get US citizens out safely.
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Hundreds of people left Gaza yesterday to seek relief. Still, that leaves over 2 million people stuck in Gaza — including US citizens — with the latest Israel-Hamas war in its fourth week.
Developing:
Yesterday, Israel carried out a second airstrike on the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, saying it killed another Hamas leader. Palestinian health officials said the back-to-back strikes on Gaza’s largest refugee camp killed at least 195 Palestinians.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be going back to Israel tomorrow and will meet with government leaders. He plans to make a stop in Jordan — which just recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest of the war.
and also...this
Who gets to keep on keeping on…
Rep. George Santos (R-NY). Yesterday, he survived an expulsion vote on the House floor led by his fellow New York Republicans. The lower chamber failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to expel Santos, with 31 Democrats joining most Republicans to keep him in his seat. Republicans — who hold a razor-thin majority in the House — said they’d rather wait for a House Ethics investigation and Santos’ criminal trial to play out. Democrats argued expelling Santos could set a dangerous precedent. After the vote, Santos said, “due process is still alive.” It’s the second time this year that Santos has dodged an expulsion. Now, he still has to face 23 charges in federal court. His trial is scheduled for September 2024.
Who’s taking the stand…
Donald Trump Jr. Yesterday, he testified in a New York civil fraud trial — one of six court cases against former President Trump. In the NY case, Trump faces a $250 million fine and a ban from doing business in New York, if he’s found guilty of insurance fraud, falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, and conspiracy at the Trump Organization. On the stand, Jr — who’s worked at the Trump Org since 2001 — said he never worked on his father’s financial statements. He also denied prosecutors’ claims that he and his brother Eric Trump helped their dad inflate his net worth. Jr’s testimony continues today ahead of Eric's. Meanwhile, Ivanka is trying not to get called up to the stand. Trump — who didn’t appear in court yesterday — posted on Truth Social, calling on the judge to “leave my children alone.”
Who people are remembering…
Bob Knight. Yesterday, his family said the legendary college basketball coach died at 83. Knight is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball, with 902 wins. He coached the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000, guiding them to three national championships. Knight also led the US men's basketball team to gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame seven years later. However, Knight wasn’t without controversy. Indiana fired him in 2000 for what school officials called a “pattern of unacceptable behavior.” Knight would later go on to coach Texas Tech University before retiring in 2008. Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called Knight “one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball today.”
What stayed put…
Interest rates. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve decided to keep its interest rate in the range of 5.25% to 5.5% — leaving it at a 22-year high. However, the Fed didn't rule out one more rate hike before the end of the year. It comes as inflation has continued to drop slightly since the Fed last met in September.
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