Gaza Border Will Open During Ramadan, Egypt’s President Sisi Announces

USCPR Executive Director Yousef Munayyer speaks to Newsweek about the news that Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for the duration of the month of Ramadan.

Human rights advocates say the border opening could provide some limited relief for people living in Gaza, but it is insufficient for the area to only be open to the outside world during Ramadan.

“It important to note that just because the crossing is open that does not mean it is open to everyone. Often there are very long lines and limits as to how many can cross a day and that has often meant that many Palestinians are not able to make it through,” Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told Newsweek.

“More importantly, the opening of Gaza’s crossings, both for people and for goods, should not be an exception but the norm. Gaza’s path to growth and recovery is inextricably tied to the free flow of people and goods and the siege policies of the past decade have only strangled the economic life out of Gaza,” Munayyer continued.