Watan-After preventing aid to Gaza and the entry of refugees into Egypt, and after months of humiliation and extortion, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi opened the Taba crossing to Israeli tourists in a provocative move that sparked a lot of anger and frustration.

Footage circulated showing dozens of Israelis crowding at the Taba border crossing with the Israeli entity, where large numbers of people eager to visit Sinai had gathered.

The Taba crossing, also known as “Menaḥem Begin,” is a land border crossing between Eilat in Israel and Taba in Egypt, located about 10 km south of the center of the city of Eilat on the Israel-Egypt border.

السيسي يفتح معبر طابا أمام السياح “الإسرائيليين” ويمنع المساعدات عن غزة! pic.twitter.com/jZeJGzbsAX

— شبكة رصد (@RassdNewsN) April 16, 2024

Targeting Israelis

According to a video report from the Egyptian opposition platform “Rassd,” the congestion at the border crossing with the occupation comes after it was announced to be open again around the clock, after months during which it was open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Due to the decline in the numbers of Israelis heading to Egypt for tourism because of the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip since last October, coinciding with incidents of Israelis being targeted in Egypt.

Between Taba and Rafah

The ease of entry for Israelis into Sinai through the Taba crossing has been compared by some to the treatment received by the people of Gaza at the Rafah crossing, where they are forced to pay thousands of dollars to save their lives from the fires of war, in addition to its closure to humanitarian aid trucks and medical teams.

Last year, 2023, witnessed the peak of Israeli tourism to Sinai with 13,000 travelers daily through the Taba crossing, in addition to 200,000 visitors during the days of the Jewish Passover holiday.