Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, the Palestinian Authority and Israel concluded to an agreement on Movement and Access on 15 November 2005. In that light, the Council of the European Union gave the green light for the establishment of the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah), a civilian Mission under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). EUBAM Rafah was launched on 24 November 2005 to provide a third party presence at the Rafah Crossing Point. The Mission is responsible for contributing to building up the Palestinian capacity, improving cross-border cooperation between the different border agencies, monitoring the operations at the Rafah Crossing Point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and liaising between the Palestinian, Israeli, and Egyptian Authorities in all aspects regarding the management of the crossing. The Mission's current mandate runs until 30 June 2022.
The European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point works with the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) and the Cooridnator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in close cooperation with Egyptian officials.
The operational phase of the Mission began on 30 November 2005. Between that date and 9 June 2007 - when the Rafah Crossing Point was last opened with the presence of EUBAM monitors- a total of nearly 450 000 passengers used the crossing with an average of about 1500 people a day. Since then, EUBAM Rafah has remained on standby, maintaining readiness to redeploy to the Rafah Crossing Point once the political and security situation allows within short notice.
The regular opening of the Rafah Crossing Point is a vital issue for any future agreements concerning the Gaza Strip. Under the 2005 Agreements, the EU third-party presence takes into account Israel's security concerns and ensures the freedom of movement of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
