The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have announced that for the first time Gaza’s sole border crossing with Egypt has been completely destroyed to the point that it can no longer be used.

Israeli Army Radio issued the following statement days ago: “This is how Rafah crossing looks today, completely destroyed and no longer usable, after being taken over by Brigade 401 in one night.” The statement added that “Due to its relative proximity to the border, the Israeli army used the crossing as a stopping point and resting area.”

Throughout most of the conflict which goes back to Oct.7, Palestinian officials operated on one side and Egyptian border troops on the other. The government of Egypt has long been bracing for a possible flood of refugees especially after Israel’s ground offensive in Rafah kicked off.

That Rafah crossing is now effectively closed and guarded by the IDF, which will only add to the unfolding humanitarian disaster as civilians are trapped with nowhere to go amid the Israel-Hamas battles raging on streets across southern Gaza.

As for the physical state of the crossing itself, war correspondents have confirmed that the exterior of the structure was incinerated: “Occupation forces damaged Rafah crossing’s halls that were used by locals to exit the Strip,” according to an earlier report by Middle East Eye.

Below is a statement by China’s CGTN:

On June 19, a journalist filmed the scene from the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing after the Israeli army began its ground military operation in May. The crossing, located on the southern border with Egypt, is the main route for international humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces have razed an umber of buildings here besides blocking humanitarian aid and personnel from entering Gaza. June 20 marks the World Refugee Day. However, many people displaced in the Gaza Strip and the living environment has been destroyed by the war.

Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director, has directed angry words against Israel, saying last week that the government “claimed weeks ago that it would provide full humanitarian support and medical assistance to civilians it had told to move.”

Video showing the status of the crossing now:

المراسل العسكري لـ إذاعة جيش الاحتلال ينشر مشاهد من معبر رفح الحدودي ويقول أنه تم تدمير المعبر بشكل كامل ولم يعد يصلح للعمل مرة أخرى. pic.twitter.com/T3bv5RMDym

— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) June 19, 2024

She added, “Not only is this not happening, its ongoing impunity, bombardment, and deliberate obstruction have created unprecedented and impossibly dangerous conditions for humanitarian agencies to operate.”

Meanwhile, the US-built pier is not doing well either. It has been out of commission longer than it has been operational, due largely to choppy seas in the Eastern Mediterranean.