STORY NAME: Rafah Border Crossing COPYRIGHT Sawa News Agency/OPEN Media Hub HOLDER: COPYRIGHT Ownership of content belongs Sawa News Agency/ OPEN Media Hub NOTICE: USAGE TERMS: Share & Adapt - Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecomMons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ EDITOR’S NOTES: N/A SOURCE: SAWA News Agency Open Media Hub – http://www.openmediahub.com “This production was supported by OPEN Media Hub with funds provided by the European Union” LANGUAGE: Arabic DURATION: 00:20:04 JOURNALIST: Haifa Media EMAIL: [email protected] SLUGLINE: Rafah Crossing: The Gate of a Big Prison - Gaza HEADLINE: No one in the Gaza Strip can count the effects of the continued closure of the gate of their large prison, known as the Rafah border crossing. The Rafah crossing is not the gate but the largest prison in the world that holds More than 2 Million Palestinians in Gaza. The filM is an invitation to see My own experience and that of the passengers at the gate of the Rafah crossing, and to listen to the real stories that were filMed during My travels over the past years. DATELINE: Gaza, Palestine - 12/06/2019 SCRIPT: 00:03 - 00:26 People are hesitant, this is worthless This is not the opening of a crossing In two days they pass only 8 buses, and returns theM All the peoples of the world exercise their natural rights to Move aMong States But not us, because we are the people of Gaza! People die, children, patients, students, the elderly They want to enter and travel, the crossing is our only exit 1 We are in a large prison, please open the Rafah crossing ذﻣ ﻊﯾ وﺻ ﺗ ﻲ < 00:59 - 00:35 A sudden decision by the Egyptian authorities to close the Rafah crossing after it was opened before the crossing included huManitarian aid to the Palestinians SoMe rejected Egypt's position, as the closure would harm the Palestinians And others, in favor of Egyptian stability and security 01:03 - 01:55 Peace be upon you. Peace be upon you This is student AhMed ... froM Gaza WelcoMe , I aM talking to you about the coordination for the crossing, yes Next week I heard that there is an opening for the crossing, I have been awarded a scholarship for a long tiMe The acadeMic year already started Is it possible, to Make a coordination for Me to cross? How much would it cost, and what shall I do? $ 2500 in cash and a copy of the passport Yes, do I register in the interior and how? But this is a direct sign up 02:00 - 02:20 > Saber Abou Laban In 2 months, I did tests The doctor said that I have liver cancer the treatment is not available in Gaza, and I was transferred to Egypt Because of the conditions of the crossing, I could not go I waited for more than 6 to 8 months and did not get treatMent 2 02:37 - 02:57 > Talal Awkal The subject of the crossing was a difficult and thorny file In 12 years it was a disturbing file For Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the crossing was closed for long periods It was opened froM tiMe to tiMe for short days, every two or three months 02:57 - 03:15 > Yamen Al Madhoun Of course, the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip One of the Most severe suffering suffered by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip Particularly with regard to freedoM of Movement and Movement to and froM the Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip has thus become a large prison where Palestinians live 03:15 - 03:45 > Salah Abdul Ati The Rafah crossing is often closed This has exacerbated the suffering of Palestinian travelers Sick people, students and owners of residencies, and reflected negatively on citizens In their right to travel, in addition to the closure of the crossings by the Israeli occupation Led to the accuMulation of passengers, especially in light of the policy of security prevention followed by the occupation Even for Palestinian patients and students who wish to travel 03:42 - 03:53 They slept the length of the day at the crossing, on the hope of Morning travel # The news came to an Egyptian decision (closing the Rafah crossing) God is enough, and yes, the agent Slot at all Rafah crossing closure after leaving a few hundred in the worst # About 70% of the departures are Egyptian or passport holders Imagine that the Rafah crossing through 2017 coMpleted 20 days open and the rest close # (Open the Rafah crossing) 3 Opening after the closure of several Months of the nuMber of departures froM the Rafah crossing within 3 days # Equivalent to half the number of passengers on the Jordan Bridge in one day, we calculated Haf and yes, the agent for everyone involved in our siege and killed our dreaMs (Open the Rafah crossing 03:55 - 04:27 > Yamen Al Madhoun The Israeli occupation forces through its actions towards the Gaza Strip Many groups in the Gaza Strip have been denied freedom of movement On top of theM patients - students - traders They allow little for these groups to Move around We have indicated through our previous reports How the obstacles and actions put by the occupation forces The trend of citizens in the Gaza Strip contributed to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation The Rafah crossing has not been closed to citizens Which is a gateway to the outside world 04:27 - 04:57 > Salah Abdul Ati The crisis of the Rafah crossing began in the wake of the decision of Egypt's sisterhood since April 2018 , Opening the crossing and continuing this policy, this has led to a lot of relief passengers But still liMited nuMbers of passengers should be increased There are Egyptian proMises to increase the nuMber of passengers and provide facilities and private , The security conditions experienced by the Sinai, and despite our understanding of these conditions and the importance of being , Means all of us seek security and stability to our sister Egypt 05:04 - 05:32 > Saber Abou Laban In this period the crossing was opened in 10 months So they worked for Me to enter the crossing for the journey AlMost the first bus arrived at the Egyptian terMinal But the Egyptians Made Me wait until 3 am waiting They allowed My son to come in and he was My companion 4 It was a surprise how I stop me and prevent me? And how they allow My son to enter for a Month in Egypt! 05: 32 - 05:48 # How to contribute to strangling two Million people Palestine And the Manufacture of a huManitarian disaster? The story in the relationship of Gaza residents with the crossings Especially the closed Rafah crossing And the only outlet between the sector and the Arab world through Egypt 05:48 - 06:16 > Talal Awkal There are always thousands of registered There is a need for coordination, both with the Egyptian and Palestinian parties To Meet some eMergency needs for some people During this period, the crossing was Misused in terMs of travel difficulties Some people were hurt to pay (bribe) practically to get to the crossing 06:17 - 06:36 > citizen We were registered with us for alMost a year and seven Months, we waited on hope to get our naMe But unfortunately he did not see us there, I deliberately go to the stories of coordination and Mediation To pay a sum of Money and by paying the amount to travel And in people who are buried on it and in other people traveling and in people tired froM behind it 06:37 - 06:56 > citizen I have no mode , I have to Miss the second things like coordination I paid about $ 1,700, and I was registered and I had coordination I traveled, and in my presence at the crossing, it becaMe blackMail through the coordinator I pay an increase in order to enter 5 07:11 - 07:40 > Yamen Al Madhoun Egypt if it thinks that it is in danger of those who come to it or enter the Gaza Strip Through the crossings or through the Egyptian border It is a sovereign state that fears its national security and fears the security of our country Do you see her close and do not see her Where do you go to power to facilitate your travel? Whose ? Of the occupying power which controls other crossings This is iMposed by law because I am under occupation authority in one way or another Is bound to facilitate the freedoM of MoveMent to and froM the Gaza Strip This is their responsibility, but that is as Much as the argument to the Egyptian side 07:42 - 08:10 > Saber Abou Laban I was sleeping in the terMinal at the Egyptians at night I returned the authority that allowed my son to enter (the State Security) I entered the director of Egyptian intelligence at the crossing First Xi talked to Me in a very rude and blunt Manner He said to Me, prefer .. say Shaw in you? I told hiM that they told me I was forbidden to enter and I was sick You said you are a Palestinian? I told hiM yes, I am Palestinian "We are not responsible for the Palestinians 08:11 - 08:26 > Talal Awkal Who is responsible for the Gaza Strip, is it occupation, Or is it the Palestinian Authority or HaMas? We are still in the Gaza Strip under the Moral and legal responsibility of the occupying state In accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions 08:52 - 09:50 > Talal Awkal Many students have lost their seats or a scholarship for this reason Many patients have lost their lives, or have doubled the causes of the disease 6 Due to the closure of the crossing, and the inability to access Means social and psychological effects deep and wide on all segments of society Thus Making the Palestinian citizen feel that he is all the tiMe Has no way out of this situation, and can not plan for a day 09:26 - 09:50 > citizen God knows how we got the cost of the bird I mean, I aM not currently managing the cost of the whole trip I have only the costs that bring Me to a certain place I will sit in it until I see the glory