Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the capital of the Rafah Governorate of the State of Palestine, located 30 kilometers (19 mi) south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. As a result of massive bombardment and ground assaults in Gaza City and Khan Yunis by Israel during the Israel–Hamas war, about 1.4 million people are believed to be sheltering in Rafah as of February 2024.
Aerial view of Rafah in 2012
Rafah 1931 1:20,000
View of Yasser Arafat International Airport near Rafah which was destroyed by Israel during the Second Intifada.
Palestinians after an Israeli airstrike on the Rafah refugee camp during the Gaza War (2008–2009)
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in the southern Levant region of West Asia. It encompasses two disconnected territories — the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the Palestinian territories — within the larger region of Palestine. The country shares its borders with Israel to north, west and south, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. It has a combined land area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi) while its population exceeds five million people. Its proclaimed capital is Jerusalem while Ramallah serves as its administrative center and Rafah is currently its largest city. Arabic is the official language. The majority of Palestinians practice Islam while Christianity also has a significant presence.
Jericho is regarded as one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world
Women at the Western Wall
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam
Saladin — founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and is known as the "conqueror of Jerusalem"
