Rafah, Egypt
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Rafah "Rapia" in the Egyptian Language |
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|---|---|
 Rafah
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| Coordinates: 31°17′19″N 34°14′28″E / 31.28861°N 34.24111°E | |
| Country |
 Egypt
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| Governorate | North Sinai |
| Population | |
| • Ethnicities | Bedouin Arabs and Egyptians |
| Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
Rafah (Egyptian Arabic: رفح, IPA: [ˈɾɑfɑħ]) or Egyptian Rafah is an important city in North Sinai and Egypt's eastern border with the Gaza strip. It is the capital of Rafah center in North Sinai Governorate, and is situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Egypt. In the Egyptian language of Ancient Egypt, the city was known as Rapia.
The Egyptian government announced in early 2015 that it would raze the entire city and build a new settlement for its residents, in order to expand a security buffer between Egypt and Gaza. The Egyptian military reportedly began bulldozing sections of Rafah in late 2014.
The city has always been a part of the Egyptian Empire since the Pharaonic period. It was also a major location on the battle route towards Egyptian settlements in Anatolia and Levant.
During the 2011 Egyptian protests, anti-government rioters attacked and killed three police officers in the town.
In October 2014, the Egyptian government announced plans to relocate the population and completely demolish the city in order to enlarge the buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza. Between July 2013 and August 2015, Egyptian authorities demolished at least 3,255 residential, commercial, administrative, and community buildings along the border, forcibly evicting thousands of people.
In June 2015 Egypt completed the digging of a ditch at the Rafah Crossing Point, 20 meters wide by 10 meters deep. It is located two kilometers from the border with Gaza outside of Rafah City and part of the enlarged buffer zone. Expansion of the trench along with watchtowers was planned.
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