The Rafah crossing has become a main lifeline connecting Gaza residents with Egypt and the outside world. Gaza's dependence on Rafah increased after Israel destroyed the only airport in Gaza in 2002 during the second intifada and imposed stringent restrictions on the movement of individuals through the Erez crossing, confining its use to humanitarian cases and staff members of international organizations.
Hamas sees in the crossing a key to its legitimacy in the Gaza Strip. After Israel imposed its blockade, this prompted Hamas to exert pressure on the former Egyptian regime to reopen the Rafah crossing and facilitate movement through it, finally succeeding in doing so after the Israeli naval attack on the Turkish humanitarian flotilla in 2010.
