The border between Egypt and Israel has a complex history, marked by periods of conflict and cooperation. Understanding the geography, crossing points, and security measures along this border is crucial for comprehending the regional dynamics.
Historical Context
On 1 October 1906, the Ottoman and British governments agreed on a boundary between Ottoman-ruled Palestine and British-ruled Egypt, running from Taba to Rafah. Although after World War I, Mandatory Palestine was also under British control, the Egypt-Palestine boundary was maintained to control the movement of the local Bedouin.
From 1948, Gaza was occupied by an independent Egypt. Consequently, the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt proper was a mere administrative boundary without border control. In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty that returned the Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip, to Egyptian control.
The Egypt-Gaza Border
The Egypt-Gaza border is the 12-kilometre (7.5-mile) long border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The Rafah Border Crossing is the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It is located on the international border that was confirmed in the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
Only passage of persons takes place through the Rafah Border Crossing; as such, the Egypt-Gaza border is only open to the passage of people, not of goods. As of July 2023, "goods have also entered Gaza regularly from Egypt, via the Rafah crossing, controlled by the Egyptian authorities, and then through the adjacent Salah Ad Din Gate, controlled by the local authorities."
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Salah al-Din Gate, since February 2018 a secondary commercial border crossing 4 km northwest of Rafah Crossing, and named after Salah al-Din Road, the Strip's main north-south thoroughfare. Before 2018, the gate allowed two-way humanitarian access for Gaza and Sinai residents, but didn't serve commercial purposes. It was repurposed in 2018, when Hamas militants manned the Gaza side and taxed incoming cargo, which included goods with controversial dual use (civilian and military), apparently without much external supervision.
Since 2018, the Salah Ad-Din Gate has seen a steady growth in traffic, so that in 2022/2023, over 50% of the construction materials, 25% of the food and c. 40% of non-food items entered the Strip through Salah Ad-Din Gate crossing.
The Philadelphi Route
As part of the 1979 peace treaty, a 100-meter-wide strip of land, known as the Philadelphi Route, was established as a buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. In the peace treaty, the re-created Gaza-Egypt border was drawn across the city of Rafah. Under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the Philadelphi Route buffer zone was a 100-meter-wide strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Since 2001, the IDF demolished Palestinian houses in Rafah to create the buffer zone. In 2002, hundreds of houses in Rafah were destroyed to widen the buffer zone and for the building of an eight meter high and 1.6 kilometres long metal wall along the border. The wall also extended two meters underground.
After the death on 12 May 2004 of five Israeli soldiers who were operating in the buffer zone, the Israel government approved on 13 May a plan to further widen the buffer zone, which would require the demolition of hundreds of homes. The Israeli military recommended demolishing all homes within 300 meters of its positions, or about 400 meters from the border.
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In 2010, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared support for the barrier, adding: "It is the Egyptians’ sovereign right in their own country. The Islamic Action Front, a Jordanian Islamist group, criticized Egypt for the barrier and accused it of "collaborating" with Israel and the United States.
Security Measures and Buffer Zones
Egyptian authorities ordered residents living along the country's eastern border to evacuate their homes prior to their demolishing. The buffer zone was to include water-filled trenches to thwart tunnel diggers. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed with the operation, arguing that the smuggling tunnels under the border had produced 1,800 millionaires, and were used for smuggling weapons, drugs, cash, and equipment for forging documents.
In June 2015, Egypt completed its digging of a ditch at the Rafah Crossing Point, 20 meters wide by 10 meters deep. It is located two kilometres from the border with Gaza outside of Rafah City and is part of the enlarged buffer zone. On 11 September 2015, the Egyptian army began to pump water from the Mediterranean Sea into the tunnels. In February 2020, Egypt began building a new 3-kilometre (2-mile) concrete wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, from Gaza's southeastern tip at Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) to the Rafah border crossing.
The new wall is in addition to the old wall, and will not be more than 8 m (30 feet) from the old one. Both walls are within Egyptian territory. In January 2008, Palestinian militants breached several parts of the wall bordering the town of Rafah.
Recent Developments
According to analysts at a January 2010 Egyptian security conference, the barrier reflects Egypt's concern that al-Qaeda-inspired militants from the Gaza Strip will infiltrate Egypt after being forced out by Hamas, the de facto governing authority in the Strip, which Egypt considers a terrorist group, along with Israel, the EU, USA and others. After the fall of the Mubarak regime in 2011, Egypt relaxed restrictions at its border with the Gaza Strip, allowing more Palestinians to cross freely for the first time in four years.
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The Egyptian army continued to destroy Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels, according to the Egyptian army "in order to fight any element of terrorism". As of April 2013, Egypt reinforced its troops on the border with the Gaza Strip.
Here you can see the timeline of border control enhancements:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | IDF begins demolishing Palestinian houses in Rafah to create a buffer zone. |
| 2002 | Hundreds of houses in Rafah are destroyed to widen the buffer zone, including the construction of a metal wall. |
| 2004 | Israel approves a plan to further widen the buffer zone after the death of five soldiers. |
| 2010 | Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas supports the barrier. |
| 2015 | Egypt completes digging a ditch at the Rafah Crossing Point and begins flooding tunnels. |
| 2020 | Egypt begins building a new 3-kilometer concrete wall along its border with the Gaza Strip. |
Traveling Between Egypt and Israel
The border crossing at Egypt’s northern border with Israel and the Gaza Strip is considered unsafe for tourists due to the volatile security situation. Foreign tourists who want to travel from Egypt to Israel by road will instead have to use the Taba border crossing. The shortest distance by road from Cairo to the Taba border crossing is approximately 258 miles (about 415 km) and takes roughly 5h.
So, how far is Egypt from Israel if you travel by road from Cairo to Jerusalem using the shortest routes? To calculate this, we simply need to add the distance from Cairo to Taba, to the distance from Eilat to Jerusalem. First up, there are no buses that run directly from Cairo to Jerusalem. However there are a number of services that offer trips from Cairo to Jerusalem, traveling via the Taba / Eilat border crossing.
If you are planning to visit Israel after Egypt, and you intend flying from Cairo to Tel Aviv, you should be aware that there are only a very limited number of direct non-stop flights each week. EgyptAir is more often than not the only airline offering direct non-stop flights between the two cities.
So, how far is Egypt from Israel by plane? As mentioned earlier, if you get a direct flight, you are looking at a distance of around 244 miles, with a flight time of around 1h 25min. While Egypt has a number of international airports, Israel essentially only has one, and that is the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. How far is Egypt from Israel (Jerusalem) if you fly from Cairo to Tel Aviv and then travel to Jerusalem by road? So, what is the total distance in miles from Cairo to Jerusalem by air and by road?
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🇮🇱 Egypt-Israel Border Crossing through Sinai
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