AP Photo

It was a sweltering summer day on the border with Egypt when Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, sent one of his strongest messages yet to the Arab neighbor to the south.

“This Rafah crossing is Gaza’s gateway to the world,” Haniya said at the July 12 inauguration of the sleek new passenger terminal at the Gaza-Egypt border, boldly calling on Egypt to lift its restrictions at Rafah. “Gaza needs the will of Tahrir Square to liberate it.”