Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the besieged Gaza Strip has been a site of hope and despair in the unprecedented aftermath of Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on southern Israel. For VOA, photojournalist Hamada Elrasam captured the Egyptian side of this crucial passageway on November 29, the last day of the weeklong “humanitarian pause” across the crisis-ravaged Strip. Written in collaboration with Elle Kurancid.