GAZA CITY, March 9: When Israel reopened Gaza's Rafah border crossing in early February, Fadi Emad thought his chance had finally come to leave the devastated Palestinian territory and finish his studies abroad.
But when Israel abruptly slammed the gateway shut again with the outbreak in the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, the 19-year-old felt "devastated", like his future had been put on hold.
Rafah -- which Israeli forces captured nearly two years ago during the war with Hamas -- had been reopened to people for just under a month when Israel announced on February 28 that all crossings into the Strip would be closed as a security measure following the start of strikes on Iran.
Emad, from Gaza City, said the renewed closure was a crushing blow.
"I was very happy when the Rafah crossing opened recently because I wanted to travel to continue my studies abroad. I thought my dream and the beginning of building my future were finally close," he told AFP.
"But the occupation's closure of the crossing has devastated me psychologically. We are still living in fear and anxiety about the possibility of war returning again and the ceasefire collapsing," he added.
Unsafe zebra crossing
"Our suffering continues without pause."
Gaza had been under blockade even before Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, with Israeli authorities strictly controlling the entry of all goods.
And even after an October ceasefire largely halted the fighting, humanitarian conditions remain dire inside the territory.
"We are exhausted from waiting for so long," said Ali Al-Shanti, 40, a displaced Palestinian living in the southern Al-Mawasi area.
"When the Rafah crossing partially opened under Israeli restrictions, we said that things might gradually improve. But then the war with Iran came and destroyed everything, bringing the situation back to square one," he told AFP.
Shanti said the closure of crossings had once again sent prices soaring as goods became scarce.
Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday "for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid", with the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA announcing that 500,000 litres of fuel and humanitarian assistance had arrived through Israel and Egypt.
- 'Matter of life or death' -
For scores of sick and injured in Gaza, the reopening of Rafah had offered a lifeline, holding out the possibility of receiving care in Egypt.
"I was living in a state of anxiety and anticipation, waiting for the Rafah crossing to open so I could travel for treatment," said Mohammad Shamiya, a 33-year-old with a kidney condition requiring dialysis.
"After the crossing opened and I felt that hope of travelling was getting closer, the war with Iran broke out and the occupation closed the crossings on us again," he told AFP.
"Every day that passes takes something from my life, and my illness is getting worse, especially with the limited medical services available for dialysis patients here in Gaza," he added.
"Waiting for the crossing to open has become a matter of life or death for us."
The reopening of Rafah had also offered a chance for Gazans long-separated from their loved ones to reunite with their families.
"My children and I were very happy when the crossing opened so we could join my husband outside Gaza," said Tahani Abu Sharbi, a 34-year-old displaced Palestinian who had been unable to join her husband while he received medical treatment abroad.
But after Rafah closed again, "it felt as if our dream had become more distant," she told AFP.
"My only hope is that the crossing will open soon so that we can reunite as a family after this long separation."
