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Rafah

Rafah is a small city in the Gaza Strip situated next to the Egyptian border. The first recording of its existence is an Egyptian inscription from 1330 BC; over the years, Rafah has also been known as Chatzerim, Robihwa, Rafihu, and Raphia. It saw the victory of the Assyrian Sargon II over the Egyptians in 720 BC, as well as the largest battle ever said to have been fought in Palestine, a battle between Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III fought in 217 BC that incorporated over 100,000 soldiers and hundreds of elephants. Two major Palestinian regufee camps were established on the outskirts of Rafah after the Israeli War of Independence: Canada Camp to the north of the city, and Rafah Camp to the south. The total population of modern Rafah is approximately 96,000, with about 44,000 living in the refugee camps.

In May 2004, following the deaths of 13 Israeli soldiers in clashes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli government decided to execute "Operation Rainbow," a demolition project intended to destroy a network of tunnels used to smuggle weapons and explosives into Rafah from Egypt. This decision expanded the demolition from the Rafah refugee camp to the town of Rafah itself. There had been an ongoing military effort to shut down smuggling routes to Egypt and expand the "Philadelphi Road" that runs as a buffer along the Egyptian border, but this expansion of "Operation Rainbow" to the town of Rafah was also aimed at targeting the houses of Palestinian gunmen in order to discourage other Palestinian militants. Israel has considered a longer term plan that would not only widen the Philadelphi, but build a moat along the border to block the digging of tunnels.

On May 18, 2004, Israeli forces entered the Tel Sultan neighborhood in northeastern Rafah. Two days later, they entered Rafah's Brazil neighborhood, destroying a small local zoo and releasing a number of the animals. According to Palestinian sources, over the six day long incursion, Israeli forces destroyed dozens of homes, as well as power lines, streets, sewage pipes, and cars. 41 Palestinians were killed, dozens more were injured, and hundreds were left homeless in the course of the operation.

On May 20, ten Palestinians under the age of 18 were killed during demonstrations against the incursion in Rafah when Israeli an missile and four tank shells struck the front of the crowd of protesters. Israel claims the shots were intended to be a warning, and were not fired into the crowd to kill civilians. Operation Rainbow also sparked protests in Tel Aviv, where about 500 people protested in front of the Defense Ministry, and condemnation from the UN Security Council. The US abstained from vetoing the Security Council resolution, which called on Israel to abide by its responsibilities under international law to protect civilians.

Although Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Brazil and Tel Sultan neighborhoods, smaller numbers remain in southern Gaza and military officials claim that the operation is not yet finished.

According to an UNRWA 25 May 2004 release, an initial assessment of the numbers of homes demolished or damaged beyond repair during the latest Israeli military operation in Rafah counted that, from 18 May until 23 May, a total of 45 buildings in the Tel Sultan, Brazil and Salam quarters of Rafah were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. These buildings housed 98 families or 575 individuals. According to the same news release, from 1 May until 23 May, 155 buildings, housing 360 families, or 1960 individuals had been demolished in Rafah.