Israel says partially reopening Gaza's Rafah crossing

RAFAH - Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing between the devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday, following months of appeals from aid groups, though access is limited to pedestrians.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body coordinating Palestinian civilian affairs, made no mention of allowing in a long hoped-for surge of aid, and clarified that the passage of individuals through the gateway in both directions was expected to begin Monday.

Rafah is considered a key entry point for supplies into the devastated Palestinian territory, where humanitarian conditions remain dire after two years of war in spite of a ceasefire in place since 10 October.

The crossing has been closed since Israeli forces seized control of it in May 2024 during the war with Hamas, aside from a brief and limited reopening in early 2025.

COGAT said on Sunday that the "Rafah Crossing was opened today for the limited passage of residents only” but later added that the "movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow".

An official at Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said that about 200 patients were waiting to be permitted to leave the territory once the crossing opened.

AFP footage showed a queue of ambulances entering the crossing from the Egyptian side, though sources said none had been allowed into Gaza yet.

"The opening of Rafah opens a small door of hope for patients, students and people in Gaza," Amin Al-Hilu, 53, who lives in a tent in the territory's Al-Shati camp, told AFP.

"We need the crossing to fully open for travel and bringing in goods without Israeli restrictions, and this I think will require major pressure on Israel."

NO DISPLACEMENT OF GAZANS

A Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that a group of "around 40 Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Authority has arrived on the Egyptian side of the crossing" and was also waiting to be allowed in.

Egypt's state-linked Cairo News reported that the Egyptian side of the crossing would remain open "round the clock" and that Egyptian hospitals were prepared to receive patients coming from Gaza.

The leaders of Egypt and Jordan meanwhile renewed their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

During a meeting in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II "renewed their affirmation of Egypt and Jordan's firm stance rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land", according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

The two also called for "unrestricted humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip".

Israel had previously said it would not reopen the crossing until the body of Ran Gvili - the last Israeli hostage 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.

COGAT described Sunday's reopening as "an initial pilot phase", coordinated with the European Union, adding the parties were carrying out "preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing".

Adam Awad, 19, was among those waiting to travel through the Rafah crossing, hoping to join a civil engineering programme at a university in Turkey.

"My generation and I deserve a chance at life and to build a future," he said. "We are still living in fear and anxiety, without shelter, water or electricity."

DEADLY VIOLENCE

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.

It lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind the so-called "Yellow Line" under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire.

Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza, while the rest remains under Hamas authority.

"We call on the mediators and guarantor states of the (ceasefire) agreement to monitor the occupation's behaviour at the Rafah crossing to prevent Gaza from facing a new Israeli siege," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.

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 under the ceasefire agreement to oversee the territory's day-to-day governance.

However, the NCAG, headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, was not expected to enter on Sunday, a member of the committee said.

Deadly violence preceded the reopening of Rafah crossing, with the civil defence agency in Gaza reporting at least 32 people killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday.

The military said it struck in retaliation for ceasefire violations when eight militants emerged out of tunnel in Rafah on Friday.