00:00And Isabel, what does this actually mean in a broader context when it does come to the ceasefire in Gaza?
00:07We have spoken before about how fragile it is and how difficult it has been to implement.
00:13Yeah, I think if we see the Rafa crossing opening, then it will be a really positive sign.
00:18I think it can be used really as a barometer of the momentum of the ceasefire.
00:24This isn't something that can be done unilaterally.
00:26It takes cooperation from multiple countries, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, and of course, all of the nations with humanitarian workers as well having a stake in that.
00:37So if it is successful, we don't know the timeline on when that could be.
00:43It is a good thing.
00:44But let's not forget that since the 10th of October, there have been some enormous number of violations, I think nearly 600 violations by Israel.
00:53There's been continued bloodshed and loss of life.
00:55We've also seen the return of hostages over the weekend, the remains of hostages, and Israel accusing Hamas of returning false remains, that they aren't the hostages that were taken in 2023.
01:10That has the potential to derail any progress on all of this.
01:14So I think, you know, we're sort of waiting with our hearts and our mouths in all of this.
01:19It's been an incredibly long time.
01:20I think it was May 2024, the last time the Rafa crossing was properly open.
01:25It was a brief interlude back in February when there was a brief peace ceasefire then.
01:32But, you know, the World Health Organization point to the fact that there are in excess of 16,000 civilians who are either wounded or incredibly sick who need to get out of Gaza.
01:44So, you know, there are good reasons to open it.
01:48It should have been opened a long time ago, but it is a barometer, I suppose, is your question about, you know, what are the wider symbols from this?
01:55And it's, you know, whether or not this is a lasting peace.
01:57And I sincerely hope that we will see progress on that in the next few days.
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