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The Refugee Platform in Egypt has issued an annual report on the genocidal campaign waged by the Israeli occupation’s army against the Gaza Strip, entitled: “Where Do They Go?” A Year of Siege, Denial of Rights, and Criminalization of Solidarity.
This report generally documents the Egyptian response to the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, from the movement of forcibly displacement people from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, to the exit of the sick and wounded, as well as the movement of humanitarian aid, the conditions of displaced Palestinians in Egypt, and their access to basic services; then concluding with the Egyptian political system’s treatment of the solidarity movement with the Palestinian people.
The platform’s researchers monitored this response in depth, starting with the conditions of the Rafah crossing at the outbreak of the genocidal campaign, observing the Israeli state’s despotism which imposed a suffocating blockade on the movement of aid and the exit of the sick and wounded, the process of security coordination for the exit of individuals, and the status of aid after the Israeli occupation’s army annexed the crossing on the Palestinian side.
The report also examines the alternatives used to bring in aid, namely airdrops and the seaport, as well as the issues that embroiled these two alternatives and their eventual discontinuation. The report also demonstrates the changes in the nature of international organizations from being support agencies to providing comprehensive services; as well as how aid and NGOs were affected by the monopoly of government agencies in most Arab countries that provide aid to the Gaza Strip, in addition to the monopolization of support provided to the Gaza Strip by governmental agencies.
Additionally, this report provides an overview of the legal status of Palestinians in Egypt while analyzing the legal fragility of the positionality of Palestinians in general, as well as comparatively after the beginning of the waging of the genocidal campaign. The commencement of which increased the suffering of those who were forcibly displaced, especially with regard to their access to basic rights such as education as their marginalization is multifaceted through their legal situation and their financial situation.
Despite the tragic conditions of the Gaza Strip during the ongoing genocidal campaign, the Egyptian authorities suppressed forms of support and solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip by arresting dozens of Palestinian solidarity activists. Whether through demonstrations or other means of peaceful expression, this report surveils the variety of methods and charges used by the Egyptian prosecution against those arrested as well as the police brutality involved in the arrests themselves.
The report concludes by stating the results and outcomes reached by the platform’s researchers on the basis of these five main elements:
First: The Rafah crossing, the only conduit from imperial siege and settler occupation, how were people’s movements through the crossing affected by the genocidal campaign before and after?
Second: The Egyptian border with Gaza under ethnic cleansing: From Egyptian prohibition, exploitation, racketeering, and profiteering to the “Israeli” nation state’s settler colonial expansion and occupation.
Third: The legal status of displaced Palestinians in Egypt.
Fourth: The legal status of displaced Palestinians in Egypt: Palestinian students in Egypt and the accessibility of education.
Fifth: The criminalization of solidarity with the Palestinian people: The carceral punishment of demonstrating solidarity with the Palestinian people.
You can view the full report in PDF format by clicking on this link
