What is Gaza’s Rafah crossing?

Palestinians with foreign passports at Rafah Border Gate wait to cross into Egypt, Nov. 1.

Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images

LONDON — Sometimes called the Gaza Strip’s “lifeline,” the Rafah border crossing with Egypt has come under extreme focus as the latest war between Israel and Hamas grinds into its second month.

It is controlled and operated by Egyptian authorities, with Hamas also exercising control over who can pass through — the only Gaza crossing not controlled by Israel.

Although Egypt has frequently closed the crossing, adding to Gaza’s isolation, the crossing has nevertheless served as a vital link between the besieged territory — which has been under an Israeli-imposed land, sea and air blockade since 2007 — and the rest of the world.

The blockade was tightened after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which Hamas-led militants forced their way into the country and killed 1,400 people, returning to Gaza with more than 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Israel’s heavy military response has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Humanitarian groups say Israeli bombings and complete siege of the territory have now made the need even more critical to transport aid through Rafah to Gaza’s more than 2 million people.

The crossing opened last week for the limited evacuation of foreign passport holders and some critically injured Palestinians. The White House said Sunday that 300 Americans and their families have been able to get out of Gaza in recent days, though other U.S. citizens remain in the…