Israel has announced plans to reopen the Gaza Strip's border crossing with Egypt, marking a significant development in US President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan. The move comes after nearly two years of closure, during which time Israel seized control of the crossing, citing its need to halt cross-border arms smuggling by Hamas.
According to COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, the border crossing will reopen on Sunday with limited movement of people only. The crossing, known as Rafah, is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world and has been under a near complete closure since Israel seized it in May 2024.
The decision to reopen the crossing follows statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ali Shaath, the newly appointed head of the Palestinian administrative committee governing Gaza's daily affairs. While COGAT did not provide clear details on how the crossing will operate after nearly two years of closure, it said that both Israel and Egypt would vet individuals for exit and entry through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol agents.
The reopening is seen as a key step forward in the second phase of last year's US-brokered ceasefire agreement, which includes challenging issues ranging from demilitarizing Gaza to putting in place an alternative government to oversee rebuilding the mostly destroyed enclave. The move is also expected to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians are trying to leave the war-torn territory while tens of thousands who fled during the heaviest fighting want to return home.
However, the decision has been met with skepticism by some, with concerns that it may be a temporary measure aimed at appeasing Hamas and not a genuine effort to address the underlying issues driving the conflict. The Israeli government's focus on disarming Hamas and destroying its remaining tunnels is also seen as a major obstacle to a lasting ceasefire.
The reopening of the border crossing comes after a recent surge in deadly strikes in Gaza, which have slowed but not stopped since the return of the remains of the final hostage held in the territory. Three Palestinians were laid to rest in traditional Islamic funeral rites on Friday, with men gathering to pay their final respects and carrying the shrouded bodies through the streets before praying over them.
The most recent deaths brought the total number of Palestinian casualties to 492 since the ceasefire began in October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry's figures are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, but have been disputed by Israel, which maintains that many of the victims were militants or involved in attacks on Israeli civilians.
The reopening of the border crossing is a complex and sensitive issue that will require careful management to prevent tensions from escalating. As one Israeli official noted, only dozens of Palestinians would be allowed through each way initially, starting with medical evacuees and those who fled during the war. The move is expected to spark widespread celebrations among Gaza's residents, but also raises concerns about the potential for overcrowding and security risks at the crossing.
According to COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, the border crossing will reopen on Sunday with limited movement of people only. The crossing, known as Rafah, is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world and has been under a near complete closure since Israel seized it in May 2024.
The decision to reopen the crossing follows statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ali Shaath, the newly appointed head of the Palestinian administrative committee governing Gaza's daily affairs. While COGAT did not provide clear details on how the crossing will operate after nearly two years of closure, it said that both Israel and Egypt would vet individuals for exit and entry through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol agents.
The reopening is seen as a key step forward in the second phase of last year's US-brokered ceasefire agreement, which includes challenging issues ranging from demilitarizing Gaza to putting in place an alternative government to oversee rebuilding the mostly destroyed enclave. The move is also expected to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians are trying to leave the war-torn territory while tens of thousands who fled during the heaviest fighting want to return home.
However, the decision has been met with skepticism by some, with concerns that it may be a temporary measure aimed at appeasing Hamas and not a genuine effort to address the underlying issues driving the conflict. The Israeli government's focus on disarming Hamas and destroying its remaining tunnels is also seen as a major obstacle to a lasting ceasefire.
The reopening of the border crossing comes after a recent surge in deadly strikes in Gaza, which have slowed but not stopped since the return of the remains of the final hostage held in the territory. Three Palestinians were laid to rest in traditional Islamic funeral rites on Friday, with men gathering to pay their final respects and carrying the shrouded bodies through the streets before praying over them.
The most recent deaths brought the total number of Palestinian casualties to 492 since the ceasefire began in October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry's figures are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, but have been disputed by Israel, which maintains that many of the victims were militants or involved in attacks on Israeli civilians.
The reopening of the border crossing is a complex and sensitive issue that will require careful management to prevent tensions from escalating. As one Israeli official noted, only dozens of Palestinians would be allowed through each way initially, starting with medical evacuees and those who fled during the war. The move is expected to spark widespread celebrations among Gaza's residents, but also raises concerns about the potential for overcrowding and security risks at the crossing.
just hope that this reopening of the border crossing leads to some real progress in Gaza and not just a temporary fix... seems like Israel is trying to play both sides, you know? 
meanwhile, those Palestinian casualties are heartbreaking... can't believe we're still seeing people losing their lives due to conflict after conflict. 
I'm not really sure what's going on with all these checkpoints and vetting people who wanna leave or come in, but hopefully, it'll help people get some aid and stuff. 
But I also don't wanna get my hopes up because like you said, this might just be a temporary thing to calm everyone down. 
It's a pretty complicated situation with so many different groups and interests, can someone explain it in simple terms? 
Is it just a temporary measure aimed at appeasing Hamas, or is there genuine intent to address the underlying issues driving the conflict? 
But, at the same time, I'm also thinking about all the ppl who are worried that this might just be a temporary fix to keep Hamas happy instead of addressing the real issues 
What if ppl get stuck or worse? 
We gotta make sure we're preparing for all scenarios here. But, on the other hand, I can totally see how this reopening could be a beacon of hope for Gaza's residents 
Who wouldn't want to feel like they have access to the outside world again? 
hopefully it'll bring some relief to gazans who've been stuck there for ages 
medical evacuees & those who fled during the war should be allowed through first 
it's not just about opening borders tho 
we need to think about security risks & overcrowding at the crossing too 
but let's keep our fingers crossed that this move can help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in gazaland 
i mean i know there's still gonna be all these problems and whatnot but like a reopenin of the border crossing is a major step forward in gettin the gaza strip back to normal 
cant wait to see the smiles on those palestinian faces when they can finally leave the strip without worryin about gettin shot or somethin 
it's been closed for almost 2 years now and people have been struggling to get basic necessities in and out. but at the same time, i can see why some ppl might be skeptical - like, what's the real motive behind this? israel just trying to appease hamas or is they actually trying to help the ppl of gaza? 
, reopening the Rafah crossing after 2 years of closure? sounds like a total game changer... NOT 
. just a bunch of empty promises from Israel to appease Hamas and wash their hands of the whole mess 
. it's gonna be a circus out there with EU border patrol agents keeping everyone in line... good luck with that 
. also what's up with the "limited movement of people only" clause? sounds like they're trying to keep everyone in their place 
. this is all just a PR stunt, folks 
. let's see how long this reopening lasts before everything goes back to normal (whatever that means) 
... I mean, it's been a long time since the border crossing was closed, and now they're opening it back up? It feels like a step forward, but also super complicated 
... What if it's just a temporary fix to keep Hamas happy? 
And what about all the people who are trying to leave Gaza, can we trust that they'll be safe passing through this new opening? 
meanwhile, thousands of ppl are still tryin to leave or get back home and it's all super emotional cuz they got hurt or lost loved ones during the fighting 
...either way, we should keep an open mind and see how it all plays out 
. guess we'll just have to wait and see if this is gonna be a real attempt at a ceasefire or just another way for Israel to appear benevolent 
maybe this is just the start of something bigger...and yeah, it's not like this is gonna solve everything overnight, but every little bit counts, right? 
. With the border reopening, 15% more people will have access to external aid 
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. The Israeli government needs to focus on disarming Hamas and destroying its remaining tunnels, which is a major obstacle to a lasting ceasefire 
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. And with the EU border patrol agents supervising the crossing, it's clear that cooperation between Israel and Egypt is necessary 
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