Gaza’s Border Crossing To Egypt Reopens But Only Few Palestinians Can Cross

CAIRO (AP) — Gaza Rafah border crossing Egypt reopened for limited traffic on Monday; It’s an important step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but it’s mostly a symbolic development on the ground, as few people will be allowed to travel in either direction and no goods will pass through.

However, no one was seen entering or leaving Gaza in the first few hours after the opening. An Egyptian official said 50 Palestinians were expected to pass in each direction on the first day of the Rafah operation. Nearly 20,000 Palestinian children and adults in need of medical care hope to leave Israel devastated Gaza through the crossingAccording to Gaza health officials.

Thousands of Palestinians outside the region hope to enter the region and return to their homes.

State-run Egyptian media and an Israeli security official also confirmed the reopening. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Before the war, Rafah was the main transit point for people entering and exiting Gaza. A handful of other crossing points in the region are all shared with Israel. Under the terms of the ceasefire that came into force in October, the Israeli army controls the area between the Rafah crossing and the area where most Palestinians live.

Violence continued in the coastal area on Monday, and Gaza hospital officials said an Israeli navy ship opened fire on a tent camp, killing a 3-year-old Palestinian child. The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident.

On Monday, Rajaa Abu Mustafa stood outside a Gaza hospital where his 17-year-old son Mohammed was awaiting evacuation. Last year, Khan Younis was blinded by a bullet in his eye while joining desperate Palestinians searching for food from aid trucks in the east of the city.

“We were waiting for the crossing to open,” he said. “Now it has opened and the health ministry called us and said that we will go to Egypt for his treatment.”

About 150 hospitals across Egypt are ready to accept Palestinian patients evacuated from Gaza via Rafah, officials said. Additionally, the Egyptian Red Crescent said it was preparing “safe areas” on the Egyptian side of the crossing to provide support to those evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

Israel bans sending patients to hospitals Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war began – a move that has cut off the main exit route for Palestinians needing medical treatment previously unavailable in Gaza.

Israel said this and Egypt will screen people for exit and entry at the Rafah border crossing. European Union Border patrol agents with a small Palestinian presence. If the system is successful, the number of passengers is expected to increase over time.

Fearing that Israel could use the crossing to expel Palestinians from the area, Egypt has repeatedly said that Palestinians’ entry and exit into Gaza should be open. Historically, Israel and Egypt have screened Palestinians who apply for passage.

A 3-year-old Palestinian was killed on Monday when the Israeli navy hit tents housing displaced people on the coast of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Palestinian hospital officials said.

According to Nasser hospital, which received the body, the attack took place in Muwasi, a tent camp area on the coast of the Gaza Strip. The child was the last of the Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire was declared in Gaza in October.

More than 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into force on October 10, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. More than 100 children were among those killed by UNICEF since the ceasefire, among more than 71,700 Palestinians killed since the start of Israel’s offensive, according to the ministry, although it did not say how many of them were combatants or civilians.

The ministry, which is part of Gaza’s Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

Israeli soldiers captured the Rafah border crossing in May 2024, saying it was part of efforts by the militant Hamas group to combat arms smuggling. The pass was briefly opened in early 2025 for the evacuation of medical patients during the ceasefire.

Israel resisted reopening the Rafah gate, but the remains of the body were recovered. Last hostage in Gaza paved the way for progress.

The reopening is seen as an important step as we move into the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement. If the ceasefire continues, Rafah is expected to accelerate its operations over time.

The ceasefire halted more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas, which began with a Hamas-led offensive into southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The first phase of the ceasefire entailed the exchange of all hostages held in Gaza for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, an increase in much-needed humanitarian aid, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The second phase of the ceasefire agreement is more complex. It calls for the establishment of a new Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, the disarmament of Hamas and steps to begin reconstruction.

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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