Israel to Permit Restricted Reopening of Rafah Crossing
The Israeli Prime Minister's office disclosed the decision via a statement posted on X, the American social media platform, outlining specific conditions attached to the border access restoration.
"As part of President Trump's 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism. The reopening of the crossing was conditioned upon the return of all living hostages and a 100% effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages," Netanyahu's office wrote on the US social media company X's platform.
The statement specified that border operations would commence following the conclusion of recovery efforts for Israeli Defense Forces soldier Ran Gvili's remains.
Israeli authorities have maintained a complete closure of the Palestinian-controlled section of the Rafah border point since May 2024, coinciding with military operations in Gaza that have resulted in over 71,400 fatalities—predominantly women and children—throughout the conflict that began in October 2023.
In recent months, Israel has made the border's reopening contingent upon retrieving the body of its final captive held in the territory.
The strategic crossing point connecting Gaza with Egypt was initially scheduled to resume operations in October as part of a ceasefire agreement's first phase that became effective on Oct. 10, though Israeli forces failed to implement the provision.
Throughout the ceasefire's initial phase, Palestinian groups have freed 20 Israeli detainees and transferred the remains of 27 deceased captives. Gvili's body remains unreturned.
According to the Health Ministry, Israeli military forces have executed hundreds of ceasefire violations since the agreement's implementation, resulting in no fewer than 484 Palestinian deaths and 1,321 injuries.
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