Rafah, Egypt#Climate
{{about|the city in North Sinai|the part of the city in Gaza Strip,Palestine|Rafah}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Rafah
| other_name =
| native_name = رفح
| nickname =
| settlement_type = City
| motto =
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| pushpin_map = Egypt
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize = 300
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Egypt
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Egypt}}
| subdivision_type1 = Governorate
| subdivision_name1 = North Sinai
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| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 456.9
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| population_as_of = 2021
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| population_total = 80,823
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| population_blank1_title = Ethnicities
| population_blank1 = Bedouin Arabs and Egyptians
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| timezone = EST
| utc_offset = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|31|17|19|N|34|14|28|E|display=inline}}
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Rafah ({{langx|ar|رفح}}, {{IPA|ar|ˈɾɑfɑħ|IPA}}) is a city in North Sinai and Egypt's eastern border with the Gaza Strip,Palestine. It is the capital of Rafah center in North Sinai Governorate, and is situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
Rafah is the site of the Rafah Border Crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.{{clarify|is the crossing point still active? when was it?|date=January 2025}} 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 Strip. The Egyptian military began bulldozing sections of Rafah in late 2014.{{cite news|url=http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/world/middleeast/egypt-moves-to-eradicate-town-near-gaza-strip.html?referrer=&_r=0|agency=The New York Times|title=Egypt Moves to Eradicate Town Near Gaza Strip|date=8 January 2015|access-date=8 January 2015}} By 2021, the Egyptian military had demolished at least 7,460 buildings in Rafah.
History
File:The town of Rafah, near Gaza, in 1931, showing the Palestine-Egypt border (cropped).jpg map shows the town of Rafah, near Gaza. A police station and police barracks is shown on the Egyptian side of the border.]]
When Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, Rafah was split into a Gazan part and an Egyptian part, dividing families, separated by barbed-wire barriers.[https://web.archive.org/web/20051022004151/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/761/re1.htm Cinderella in Rafah]. Al-Ahram, Issue No. 761, 22–28 September 2005[https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/publications/download/?id=207 The Evolution of the Egypt-Israel Boundary: From Colonial Foundations to Peaceful Borders], pp. 3, 9, 18. Nurit Kliot, Boundary and Territory Briefing, Volume 1 Number 8. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tESlCz39akkC At Google books] The core of the city was destroyed by Israel[https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/rafah1004text.pdf Razing Rafah — Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip], pp. 27-28 and 52-66 (PDF text version) on [https://web.archive.org/web/20060325230545/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060324012233/http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/gaza/ Summary:]. [http://www.refworld.org/docid/45d171362.html The report on refworld:]. Human Rights Watch (HRW), October 2004[http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011813024.pdf Supplementary Appeal for Rafah]. UNWRA, May 2004PCHR, [http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Reports/English/uprooting%20_trees%20_10.pdf Uprooting Palestinian Trees And Leveling Agricultural Land – The tenth Report on Israeli Land Sweeping and Demolition of Palestinian Buildings and Facilities in the Gaza Strip 1 April 2003 – 30 April 2004] On [http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2675:the-tenth-report-on-israeli-land-sweeping-and-demolition-of-palestinian-buildings-and-facilities-in-the-gaza-strip-1-april-2003-30-april2004&catid=43:pchrdemolitionlandsweeping&Itemid=187] and Egypt[https://www.foxnews.com/world/egyptian-military-doubling-buffer-zone-with-gaza-demolishing-nearly-1220-more-homes Egyptian military doubling buffer zone with Gaza, demolishing nearly 1,220 more homes]. Associated Press, 8 January 2015[https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/22/look-another-homeland/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah “Look for Another Homeland”]. Human Rights Watch, September 2015 to create a large buffer zone{{Broken anchor|date=2024-10-08|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone|reason=Anchor "Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone" links to a specific web page: "Buffer zone". The anchor (Buffer zone) has been deleted.}}.
During the 2011 Egyptian protests, anti-government rioters attacked and killed three police officers in the town.{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/pyramids-closed-as-egypts-deadly-protests-spread/story-fn6s850w-1225996772657|title=Pyramids closed as deadly riots spread|work=Herald Sun|date=30 January 2011|access-date=3 February 2011}}
In October 2014, the Egyptian government announced plans to relocate the population and completely demolish the city in order to enlarge the buffer zone{{Broken anchor|date=2024-10-08|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone|reason=Anchor "Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone" links to a specific web page: "Buffer zone". The anchor (Buffer zone) has been deleted.}} between Egypt and Gaza.{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/egypt/150202/entire-city-going-be-wiped-the-map-egypt|title=An entire city is going to be wiped off the map in Egypt|author=Laura Dean|date=February 2, 2015|publisher=GlobalPost}} 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.[https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=766085 Egypt builds trench along Gaza border to prevent smuggling]. Ma'an News Agency, 22 June 2015
In November 2021, Egypt and Israel signed an agreement that allows Egypt to increase its military presence in Rafah.
By mid-2018, the Egyptian military had destroyed at least 6,850 buildings in the city of Rafah, and from August 2016 to August 2019, the Egyptian army destroyed and closed 3,500 hectares of farmland. Subsequently, the number of buildings destroyed by the Egyptians rose to 7,460. Human Rights Watch stated that these demolitions are likely war crimes.[https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/17/egypt-massive-sinai-demolitions-likely-war-crimes Egypt: Massive Sinai Demolitions Likely War Crimes]
Economy
Rafah is in a Mediterranean climate zone and agriculture thrives. Due to rain, hail and sleet; the city has plentiful sources of water for agriculture. Mediterranean fruits and crops are dominant, such as: peaches, olives, apples, citrus fruits, dates, grapes, vegetables, strawberries and peppers.
Smuggling to the Gaza Strip has been a major source of income for Bedouin tribesmen, using over 1,200 smuggling tunnels to smuggle food, weapons and other goods into Gaza.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-hamas-idUSBREA230F520140304 Egypt bans Hamas activities in Egypt]. Reuters. 4 March 2014
Climate
Like east Mediterranean cities and Egypt's north coast but wetter, it is characterised by hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. The temperature during summer can be around {{convert|30|C}} during daytime, and rarely exceeds {{convert|35|C}} due to the influence of the sea. Winters range from mild to cool during the day and chilly during the night and temperatures dip below {{convert|6|C}} very often. Rainfall is average with sometimes hail, sleet and rarely snow takes place.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (BSh).{{Cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/3958/ |title=Climate: Rafah - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=2014-02-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223185030/http://en.climate-data.org/location/3958/ |archivedate=2014-02-23 }}{{Cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/478554/ |title=Climate: Rafiah - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=2014-02-21 }}
Rafah, Alexandria, Abu Qir, Rosetta, Baltim, Kafr el-Dawwar and Mersa Matruh are the wettest places in Egypt.
{{Weather box
|width=auto
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|location=Rafah, North Sinai
|Jan high C=17.2
|Feb high C=18.0
|Mar high C=20.3
|Apr high C=22.9
|May high C=25.8
|Jun high C=28.2
|Jul high C=29.6
|Aug high C=30.5
|Sep high C=29.0
|Oct high C=27.4
|Nov high C=23.7
|Dec high C=19.3
|Jan mean C=12.7
|Feb mean C=13.5
|Mar mean C=15.4
|Apr mean C=18.0
|May mean C=20.8
|Jun mean C=23.5
|Jul mean C=25.2
|Aug mean C=25.9
|Sep mean C=24.5
|Oct mean C=22.4
|Nov mean C=18.6
|Dec mean C=14.7
|Jan low C=8.2
|Feb low C=9.0
|Mar low C=10.6
|Apr low C=13.2
|May low C=15.9
|Jun low C=18.8
|Jul low C=20.8
|Aug low C=21.4
|Sep low C=20.0
|Oct low C=17.4
|Nov low C=13.5
|Dec low C=10.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm=49
|Feb precipitation mm=37
|Mar precipitation mm=28
|Apr precipitation mm=6
|May precipitation mm=4
|Jun precipitation mm=1
|Jul precipitation mm=0
|Aug precipitation mm=0
|Sep precipitation mm=0
|Oct precipitation mm=8
|Nov precipitation mm=39
|Dec precipitation mm=54
|source 1= Climate-Data.org (altitude: 78m)
}}
See also
References
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{{Egyptian Cities}}
{{coord|31|16|51|N|34|14|29|E|source:kolossus-itwiki|display=title}}
Category:Populated places in North Sinai Governorate