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Rafah is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. Over the ages is has been known as Chatzerim by the
Israelites, Robihwa by Egyptians, Rafihu by Assyrians, Raphia by Greeks and Romans, and now Rafah by the
Arabs.
It is the largest town in the southern Strip, with a population of about 96,000, of which some 44,000 live in the two refugee camps about it, Canada Camp to the north, and Rafah camp to the south.
There are smuggling tunnels across the border which are used
for smuggling merchandise, including weapons, from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.
History
Rafah has a history stretching back thousands of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharoah Seti I, from 1303 BC, and as the first stop on Pharoah Shoshenq I's
campaign to Palestine in 925 BC.
In 720 BC it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians, and in
217 BC a large battle between the victorious Ptolemy IV and Antiochus
III. (It is said to be the largest battle ever fought in Palestine, with over a hundred thousand soldiers and hundreds of
elephants).
During the Byzantine period, it was a Diocese, and an important trading city during the early Arab period, however
it steadily declined and was likely abandoned by the 12th century. By the
Mameluk period it was recorded as a postal station, and 16th century Ottoman records show a small village of 16
taxpayers.
In 1917 the British army captured Rafah, and it was used as a base for the attack on Gaza. The presence of the army bases drew people back to
the city, and in 1922 it had a population of 600. By 1948 the population had risen to 2,500. After the Israeli War of Independence, the refugee camps were established, and in 1967 the population was about 55,000, of whom only 11,000 lived in Rafah itself.
On May 18, 2004 Israel launched a large
offensive on the town dubbed Operation Rainbow, cutting it off
from the rest of Gaza.
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