Israel partially reopens Gaza’s Rafah crossing
Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday, following months of lobbying by aid groups.
The reopening comes a day after Israel killed at least 31 Palestinians in strikes across Gaza, one of the highest death tolls since an agreement was reached to halt the fighting in October.
The Rafah crossing is a crucial gateway for both civilians and aid, but has been closed since Israeli forces seized control of it in May 2024.
Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body coordinating Palestinian civilian affairs, said the “Rafah Crossing was opened today for the limited passage of residents only”.
A Palestinian health official said on Sunday that approximately 200 patients were waiting to be permitted to leave the territory once the crossing opened.
A Palestinian official told AFP that a group of “around 40 Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Authority had arrived on the Egyptian side of the crossing to enter Gaza and begin their work”.
Israel had previously said it would not reopen the crossing until the body of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive held in Gaza, was returned.
His remains were recovered days ago, and he was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday, with Cogat announcing the reopening two days later.
Entry and exit “will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission”, it said at the time.
Cogat on Sunday described the reopening as “an initial pilot phase” coordinated with the EU, adding that the parties were carrying out “preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing”.
“The actual passage of residents in both directions will begin upon completion of these preparations,” it added.
A wider reopening is scheduled for Monday, three sources at the crossing said. However, no agreement has yet been reached on the number of Palestinians permitted to enter or exit, the sources noted, adding that Egypt plans to admit “all Palestinians whom Israel authorises to leave”.
Located on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, Rafah is the only crossing into and out of the territory that does not pass through Israel, which still controls more than half of the enclave.
It lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind the so-called “Yellow Line” under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October.
The reopening is expected to facilitate the entry of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established to oversee the day-to-day governance of the territory’s 2.2 million residents.
The committee, established under the ceasefire deal, will be supervised by the so-called “Board of Peace” chaired by US President Donald Trump.
However, the NCAG, headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, is not expected to enter the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a member of the committee said.
“The head of the committee was informed that Israel had approved the entry of the members into Gaza but has not yet set a date,” he said.
“We call on the mediators and the US administration to accelerate operations at the crossing and increase the number of travellers.”
