Israel reopens Rafah Crossing to Egypt, allowing limited movement

Israel reopened Gaza's Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt on Monday for limited foot traffic, allowing a small number of Palestinians to leave the enclave and some who fled earlier in the conflict to return for the first time.

An Israeli security official confirmed that the crossing was opened "for both entry and exit," which ends months of near-total closure at Gaza's only gateway to the outside world that does not pass through Israel. Egyptian state-linked media said the reopening would initially be capped at about 50 people in each direction per day.

The Rafah crossing, located near the Israeli border in what was once a city of roughly 250,000 people, has been largely shut for most of the conflict. Its reopening fulfills one of the final steps under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire reached in October.

A Palestinian source said those allowed to enter Gaza would be among the more than 100,000 Palestinians who managed to escape the enclave in the early months of the conflict. By mid-morning, however, it remained unclear how many had crossed.

Even as the crossing reopened, violence continued. Israeli strikes killed at least four Palestinians on Monday, including a three-year-old boy, in separate incidents in northern and southern Gaza, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

On Saturday, Israel carried out some of its heaviest airstrikes since the ceasefire, killing at least 30 people, saying the attacks followed a Hamas breach of the truce after clashes between troops and militants in Rafah a day earlier.

In the first nine months of the conflict, about 100,000 Palestinians exited Gaza through Rafah, some sponsored by aid groups and others reportedly paying bribes to secure passage into Egypt. After Israeli forces seized the crossing in May 2024, it was closed almost entirely, reopening only briefly for medical evacuations during a short ceasefire in early 2025.

The closure cut off a critical lifeline for wounded and sick Palestinians. Only a few thousand have been allowed out for medical treatment over the past year, mostly through routes controlled by Israel.

"The Rafah crossing is a lifeline," said Mohammed Nassir, a Palestinian whose leg was amputated after he was injured early in the conflict. "I need to undergo surgery that is unavailable in Gaza but can be performed abroad."

Under the new arrangements, Palestinians seeking to cross will require Israeli security approval, according to three Egyptian sources. Reinforced concrete walls topped with barbed wire have been installed, and travelers must walk roughly 2.5 kilometers through the Israeli-controlled Philadelphi corridor. At Rafah, they will pass through three separate gates, including one administered by the Palestinian Authority under the supervision of a European Union mission but controlled remotely by Israel.

"The opening of the Rafah crossing marks a concrete and positive step in the peace plan," said the Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, on social media platform X.

Israeli forces still hold more than 53 percent of Gaza's territory. Israeli state broadcaster Kan said the crossing would operate for roughly six hours each day.

Egypt's health ministry reported that 150 hospitals and 300 ambulances were prepared to receive Palestinian patients, according to local media. It said 12,000 doctors and 30 rapid-deployment teams had been assigned to support the transferred Palestinians.

Despite the reopening, Israel continues to bar foreign journalists from entering Gaza, a ban in place since the conflict began. Israel's Supreme Court is weighing a petition from the Foreign Press Association demanding access, while government lawyers argue that allowing reporters in could endanger Israeli troops.

Major combat was halted under the first phase of the ceasefire, which also led to the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and promised a surge in humanitarian aid. Many areas of Gaza have been emptied of residents and extensively demolished.

The next phase of the US-backed plan envisions negotiations over Gaza's governance and reconstruction. It calls for Hamas to relinquish control and disarm, a demand the group has not accepted. Israel has said it is prepared to resume the conflict if Hamas does not comply.

The conflict began with Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. Israel's ensuing military campaign has killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi