Why Gaza’s Rafah crossing is crucial, and contentious  

Welcome to Monday’s Early Edition from i.

It’s the only viable remaining exit for people in Gaza. The Rafah crossing, which lies in Gaza’s south and borders Egypt, is the only route in and out of the strip that does not touch Israel – and the one that has now become reliant for access to humanitarian aid, as well as a corridor for foreign nationals and others wishing to leave. Yesterday Foreign Secretary James Cleverly spoke of how “incredibly difficult” it was to get agreement for the crossing to be opened. Last week, Rishi Sunak stressed the “importance of opening the Rafah crossing to allow for humanitarian access and provide a route for British and other nationals to leave Gaza” during a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Now British and US nationals have been told to move towards the exit point and to be on alert in case the crossing is opened. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the crossing would be reopened after meeting with Egypt’s president on Sunday, but didn’t give a specific time, only that a US diplomat would arrive today to work out details.  According to NBC, that moment could happen as early as this morning, but the situation is still fluid. If it does open, it could also allow aid, including medicine, in. That will bring relief to many, but still raises questions on the plight of those who remain stuck in Gaza. Why is reopening it so contentious? We’ll take a look after the headlines.  

Today’s news, and why it matters

 Police are appealing for help identifying two women who were seen at a pro-Palestine demonstration in London wearing jackets with images of paragliders. One of the women, who attended the march through Westminster on Saturday, led the crowd in chants which accused the UK, France and Italy of being “terrorist states”. 

Nearly half of the electorate want to see a general election by the spring of next year, including almost a third of those who voted Tory in 2019, polling shows. Polling for i by BMG Research reveals that 48 per cent of the electorate want Rishi Sunak to call a general election within the next six months, rather than wait until next autumn. 

Postal workers “living in fear” dog attacks have dismissed the Government’s plan to ban the XL Bully as “silly” as they call for tougher sentences of owners in charge of out-of-control dogs. In the latest incident on Thursday, a mother and daughter in Stoke-on-Trent were taken to hospital after being attacked by a dog “believed at this time to be an XL Bully,” Staffordshire Police confirmed over the weekend. 

Nigel Farage would not be allowed to join the Conservatives if he applied, says the party’s chairman Greg Hands. “I don’t think that Nigel Farage is truly a Conservative with a large C,” he said in an interview with i. He spent most of his political career trying to damage and undermine the Conservative Party.” 

The SNP will put Scottish independence on the ballot paper at the next general election, with party members agreeing that winning a majority of the Westminster seats north of the border will constitute a mandate to begin negotiations on IndyRef2. Following a two-hour debate on the opening day of the SNP conference in Aberdeen, members approved a heavily amended motion.

The people sacrificing personal hygiene to fight the cost of living crisis. With the cost of living showing no signs of abating, people are taking unique measures to cut their bills, reports Charlotte Gill.

Gaza’s Rafah crossing – three key questions:

What is the current situation in Gaza? At least half a million people have moved from Gaza’s north to the south since last Friday, when Israel told residents of Gaza city to evacuate. A ground offensive targetting Hamas militants is expected to start Israeli troops continue to amass near Gaza ahead of an expected land, sea and air offensive targeting Hamas militants. Mark Regev, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, said the offensive was “justified self-defence” to target the “gruesome killers” from Hamas who slaughtered more than 1,400 people in Israel last week. He said: “We want to kill the terrorists, that is our goal to destroy Hamas military capabilities. We want to come out of this in a different situation where Hamas no longer has military and political control over the Gaza strip.” But there are strong warnings Israel’s offensive risks “massive civilian casualties”. Read that story here. Meanwhile, vital humanitarian aid has been prevented from entering Gaza as its healthcare system stands on the brink of catastrophe and the threat of heavy rain could cause major flooding. More than 2,450 people have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign so far, Palestinian authorities say.

What is the situation near Rafah? The border crossing has been closed by Egypt since Israel began its airstrikes. The area has been hit by a number of bombing campaigns since the escalation last week. And although Israeli authorities have told a hospital in Rafah to close, doctors working there say they will not follow those orders. Dr Suhaib Alhamss, a general surgeon at the hospital, said: “The hospital is full of patients and fuel. We are not leaving and will die in the hospital.” (Read their full statements here) Politicians, charities and even the Pope have urged authorities on both sides to allow humanitarian aid corridors to resume to provide some relief to people in Gaza, where they face dwindling supplies of water, food, fuel and medicine. Yesterday ActionAid said the lives of many Palestinians are “in the balance” and urged the Egyptian authorities to allow aid to pass into Gaza. “The Rafah border crossing, currently the sole passage out of Gaza for millions, has been closed for an extended period, cutting off the people of Gaza from much-needed humanitarian assistance and any ability to comply with evacuation orders. Women, children, the elderly and the wounded need food and water in Gaza right now,” the organisation said, warning that the lives of countless civilians were “hanging in the balance. At a time when water is running out in Gaza, we implore the Egyptian government to open the Rafah border crossing to allow life-saving supplies including food and water to reach those in desperate need.”

Why hasn’t Egypt opened the crossing? Cairo has previously always been careful to restrict its checkpoint with Gaza, closing it during previous conflicts. Egypt has in the past mediated between Israel and Palestinian factions when there have been conflicts in Gaza. But it has always insisted that Israel and Palestinians resolve their conflicts within their borders. Egypt also fears an exodus of Palestinians into its own volatile and insecure territory. The Sinai Peninsula has been the site of an Islamist insurgency that rose up around a decade ago, and still faces sporadic attacks by militants. On top of that, Hamas has its founding roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement outlawed in Egypt. Last week Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said: “Of course we sympathise. But be careful, while we sympathise, we must always be using our minds in order to reach peace and safety in a manner that doesn’t cost us much,” he said. He added that Egypt currently provides for nine million migrants. 

Around the world

 The UK, led by the US, is staging a frantic diplomatic race with Middle Eastern leaders tonight to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict engulfing the region. Rishi Sunak has held talks with King Abdullah of Jordan – a key player in diplomatic relations between the West and the Arab world – in Downing Street to discuss ways of preventing an escalation of the conflict to the West Bank and Lebanon.

Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister and European Council president, has claimed victory in Poland’s parliamentary election, based on the results of an exit poll. It suggested the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party had won the most votes but is unlikely to secure a third term in office.

Children are believed to be among those killed in the remote enclave of Azerbaijan that was the scene of a military offensive last month, as groups begin to collect evidence of possible war crimes. Armenian organisations have started documenting the latest war crimes allegedly committed by Azerbaijan’s troops against former citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh.

‘Australia’s Brexit’: How the Voice vote for Indigenous rights lost its way. Australia faces a reckoning after the huge-scale defeat of the Yes vote and a campaign marred by online disinformation and racism, writes Adam Hancock.

A haul of cocaine weighing 11kg and worth an estimated £1.26m has been found hidden in the cushions of an electric wheelchair at Hong Kong airport. It was found when a 51-year-old man was going through customs clearance. He has since been arrested.

 Watch out for…

 The first hearing in Donald Trump’s legal claim against the intelligence consultancy of Christopher Steele, a former MI6 officer. The claim is being brought at the High Court.  

 Thoughts for the day

 UK and US must be prepared to put troops on the ground to prevent the Israeli war going global. Hezbollah and Syria cannot be allowed to head south, writes Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.

Old porn magazines are being sold on Etsy – first it was funny, but then deeply depressing, explains Lucy Mangan.

Why we marry the wrong people – and how to avoid it. The time has come for a new kind of marriage, says The School of Life.

 Culture Break

 ‘As you get older, the film feels sadder’: How Withnail and I went from cult to classic. The inside story of Bruce Robinson’s beloved movie – and its darker take on the 60s – as a new book is released that will please fans hungry for more Withnail lore.

The Big Read

 ‘He has blood on his hands’: Shock and fury of Israel’s hostage families pose new danger to Netanyahu’s rule. A demonstration in support of relatives of hostages on Saturday turned into a protest against the Prime Minister of Israel, reports Tom J Bennett.

Sport

 Man Utd takeover: The questions facing Jim Ratcliffe – and why deal is a triumph for the Glazers. As Ratcliffe prepares to take control of football operations, the balance of power is still unclear and may well lie with the Glazers, writes Mark Douglas.

Something to brighten your day

 An ancient ring emblazoned with the words “Je desir vous Ceruir” – a French declaration of love – has been found by a metal detectorist near Frinton, Essex. Despite the medieval piece of jewelry being so “tiny it only fits on my little finger”, it was probably worn by a man.