Israel to Allow “Limited Reopening” of Gaza Rafah Crossing
Gaza (QNN)- Israel has announced a “limited reopening” of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt under full Israeli inspection, despite the recovery of the latest Israeli captive held in Gaza and Trump’s ceasefire deal.
On Monday, ICC-wanted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, "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 captives and a 100 percent effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased captives, the office said.
Later on Monday, the Israeli military said it recovered the body of the last Israeli soldier captive in Gaza, Ran Gvili, following search operations in northern Gaza. The announcement came amid statements from the Islamic Jihad resistance movement that Israel had received the location of the body weeks earlier but delayed recovery efforts deliberately.
Recent Israeli reports confirmed that the occupation plans to restrict the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, ensuring that more people are allowed out than in, a long-standing objective aimed at expelling Palestinians from their land.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the Rafah crossing had long been the only connection to the outside world.
Israeli forces occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing in May 2024, destroying its buildings, preventing travel and causing a severe humanitarian crisis, especially for patients. They deployed soldiers in a military buffer zone all across the Philadelphi Corridor, where they remain today.
The first phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire 20-point plan, which took effect in October to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, had called for Israel to let humanitarian aid into the territory and open “the Rafah crossing.”
However, Israel has violated the agreement and continued to close it along with killing hundreds of civilians and blocking much-needed aid.
According to Reuters, sources said that Israel wants to establish a military checkpoint inside Gaza near the border, through which all Palestinians entering or leaving would be required to pass and be subjected to Israeli security checks.
Israeli officials have repeatedly called for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the occupation of the enclave, and the construction of illegal settlements. Palestinians fear that such plans are intended to expel them permanently, or that those who leave even temporarily could be prevented from returning.
Israel’s Ynet News reported on Monday that the new operating model for the crossing: Egypt will run the crossing, a European Union mission will carry out inspections and identification, and Israel will oversee the process remotely through cameras and monitoring systems, without a physical presence on site.
