What to know about Gaza’s Rafah crossing reopening
The Rafah border gate to Egypt, which is the gateway to the world for Palestinians in Gaza, will reopen for Palestinians, having been largely closed since its capture by Israel in May 2024.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, said in a statement that “limited movement of people” would be allowed through the Rafah border crossing
Preparations are underway for a limited number of medical evacuees to leave Gaza first
There are conflicting reports about how many people can cross each day. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 50 Palestinians would be allowed to enter and 50 to exit per day. Another person familiar with the discussions said 50 people a day would be allowed in and 150 people out.
A complex network of countries and institutions, including Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the European Union mission, will oversee the Rafah crossing, but who goes in and out is under Israeli control
COGAT says Israel and Egypt will screen Palestinians for entry and exit, but passage will be supervised by European border patrol officers
The crossing will be managed by officers from the EU Border Assistance Mission and the Palestinian Authority
Plainclothes officers from the Palestinian Authority will stamp the passports, as they did during a brief ceasefire in early 2025 and before Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Palestinian officials told the AP.
HOW WELFARE WORKED BEFORE THE WAR
The restrictions followed regional politics. Egypt imposed a blockade together with Israel after Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007.
Hamas reopened the crossing after Egypt’s 2011 revolution but closed it in 2013 after the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, leader of the Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt gradually allowed the Rafah gate to reopen in the following years, but opening-closing restrictions led to the formation of a huge tunnel economy beneath it.
According to Israeli and Egyptian officials, the tunnels served as an economic lifeline for Gaza and a conduit for weapons and money.
Hamas collected tens of millions of dollars a month in taxes and duties on goods passing through the border
SOME DETAILS REMAIN UNCERTAIN
It is unclear when trucks will be allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing, what Palestinians will be allowed to bring and how long daily entry and exit will be limited.
That’s a huge uncertainty for humanitarian agencies seeking to further increase aid to devastated Gaza, where groups have long reported major shortages of medical supplies, fuel and other basic needs.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations wanted the crossing to be open for “both humanitarian cargo and private sector cargo that is critical to revitalizing the economy in Gaza.”
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s deputy Middle East coordinator, told a UN Security Council meeting that humanitarian workers were facing “cargo delays and rejections at crossings and limited routes to transport supplies in Gaza.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his focus was on disarming Hamas and destroying the remaining tunnels, a difficult part of the second phase of the ceasefire.
He said there would be no reconstruction in Gaza without disarmament, a stance that could make Israel’s control over the Rafah crossing an important trump card.
