The families torn apart by Rafah's split between Egypt and Gaza
As Israel violently took control of the Rafah crossing in Gaza, the only gateway between Palestine and Egypt, Abubakar* reflected on decades of strife on either side of the boundary.
The 67-year-old tribal judge, who lives in North Sinai, has lived through many violent Israeli incursions and invasions, as well as times of relative calm.
“In the past, movement was easy. The residents never felt like they were from two different countries or communities,” he told Middle East Eye.
“It wasn't until the division and the demarcation of the borders between Egypt and Gaza that two different identities emerged.”
That boundary was drawn in 1982, and meant that Rafah was one of a few cities in the world, like Nicosia and Jerusalem, that's divided across two different territories.
Both parts of the divided city face significant hardship.
In Egypt's Rafah, in the Sinai peninsula northeast of the country, authorities have razed the entire city to the ground, leaving its residents displaced and disillusioned.
On the Palestinian side, in southern Gaza, the people of Rafah - already under 17 years of Israeli-enforced blockade - have lived under daily Israeli bombs since 7 October.
Read more: The families torn apart by Rafah's split between Egypt and Gaza
