Israel announced it will reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday, allowing limited movement of people in both directions for the first time in nearly a year.
The announcement came after the return of the last Israeli hostage whose body was being held in Gaza, Ran Gvili. Israel said the reopening would be carried out under the terms of the ceasefire agreement and with approval from the country’s political leadership.
According to Israel’s Defense Ministry body responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, the crossing will be open only for restricted pedestrian traffic. Movement through Rafah will require coordination with Egypt, advance Israeli security clearance for travelers and monitoring by a European Union mission, similar to the mechanism used in January 2025 during the ceasefire tied to the second hostage deal.
Residents returning from Egypt to Gaza will be permitted only if they left the territory during the war and only after receiving prior Israeli security approval. At the crossing itself, the EU mission will conduct initial identification and screening. Additional checks will take place at a nearby inspection point operated by Israel’s security establishment in an area under Israeli military control.
Israeli oversight will be conducted remotely through surveillance and monitoring systems, not through the physical presence of soldiers. The refurbished terminal will be operated by Palestinian staff along with representatives of an EU international body.
Egypt will provide Israel each day with a list of several hundred people expected to cross the following day in both directions. In the initial phase, only a few hundred people will be allowed to pass daily due to capacity limitations. Israeli officials said throughput is expected to increase once the crossing is upgraded.
For now, only pedestrians will be permitted to cross, traveling between Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Tens of thousands of Gaza residents are expected to return to the territory through the crossing, particularly those who left early in the war or for humanitarian and medical reasons. Israeli officials said anyone allowed to exit Gaza would also be permitted to return. Hamas has demanded that goods be allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but the Israeli military has firmly rejected that demand.