Rafah or Egyptian Rafah is an important city in North Sinai and Egypt's eastern border with the Gaza strip. It is the capital of Rafah center in North Sinai Governorate, and is situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Egypt. In the Egyptian language of Ancient Egypt, the city was known as Rapia. The Egyptian government announced in early 2015 that it would raze the entire city and build a new settlement for its residents, in order to expand a security buffer between Egypt and Gaza.